


The Winter Lady of Fraldarius

by teecup_angel



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: ... in later chapters, ... they'll try anyway, AO3 I know Miklan was disinherited but not giving him his whole name is just mean, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Spoilers, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2020-11-16 15:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 90,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20859788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teecup_angel/pseuds/teecup_angel
Summary: A few months after leaving the monastery with his daughter, Jeralt goes to an old friend to ask for help in protecting his daughter and helping him find out what the Archbishop had done to her. The king of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, of course, agrees to help his old friend and decided that making Jeralt’s child the daughter of his closest friend and greatest ally Duke Fraldarius would be the best way to keep her safe.





	1. 1159

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be my next multi-chaptered Dimileth (that was slightly delayed because of [ Wilted Sunflower](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20827259) \- shamelss plug). Chapters will cover a year so chapter length will depend on how eventful it would be. This will cover Byleth growing up as a Fraldarius and focus on her relationship with the people in Faerghus. Chapters would be mainly in Byleth’s POV except Chapter 1 and 2 since she’s still a bit too young in those chapters.  
This will eventually be Dimileth. Other confirmed pairing will be Glenngrid and other canon pairings.  
This fic will include NPCs that will be used either as background characters or to push the plot/lore along. Main focus will still be on Byleth.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the night of Faerghus’ Founding Day, Lambert gets a visit from an old friend he hasn’t seen since his academy days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be in Lambert and Rodrigue’s POV, as such, Jeralt will still be a bit of a mystery.

**1159 - Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, Castle Blaiddyd**

It was already two hours past midnight but the celebration for the founding of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus was still in full swing. His love had asked to be excused, never one for such rowdy crowd, and he escorted her to her personal quarters. It might have been risky but he had waved away their guards for the day. Everyone should be able to celebrate today to their heart’s content, after all. And now, the King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus was walking the empty dark hallway back to the party in the ballroom with only the moon’s light as his source of light.

If he does get attacked right now and live to tell about it, Rodrigue will surely have his head. Rufus might even cry because then he’d have to be the one stuck trying to listen to the court without being able to make his hunting dog attack any of them. 

Lambert chuckled at his thoughts as he walked at a relaxed pace. He was sure their guests wouldn’t mind if he took his time to get back. They probably expect him to accompany his queen to bed. His court wasn’t exactly subtle when they talk to him about the ‘future of the kingdom’.

It wasn’t like they weren’t trying… not that the court seemed to understand that.

He stopped walking when he noticed that the next door to his left was slightly open. It was the door to his private office. 

He sighed and shook his head.

So much for a relaxing walk…

He put his hand on the handle of his sword and quietly walked towards the door. He pressed his side to the wall right next to the opened door and leaned in slowly, looking inside the room.

Someone was sitting on the chair in front of his office table. His private office was a simple small room he used when he needed to take care of a lot of reports and documents. Every evening, before dinner, he would take those stacks of papers and place them inside the locked drawers of the office table. 

But whatever the mysterious figure was holding in their hands was definitely not those pieces of paper. 

It was moving.

What in the Goddess’ name?

Lambert pushed the door open slowly with his left hand, making sure to keep it from creaking. Once it was open enough for him to slip through, he took a step inside.

The floor creaked against his weight.

“And that’s why you failed the Assassin certification.” The figure sitting inside sighed and he froze.

He blinked as the figure turned around to look at him, a fond little smile on his face.

The king immediately let go of the handle of his sword and walked inside as he greeted with a bright smile, “Sir Jeralt!”

Jeralt, a knight of Seiros he had the pleasure of meeting during his academic days, stood and nodded slightly, “Your Majesty.”

The younger man chuckled and shook his head before he said, “Come now, my friend. There is no need to be so formal with me. Call me as you used to when I was in the academy.”

“If that’s what you want.” Jeralt shrugged before he greeted with a smile, “Brat.”

He chuckled and patted Jeralt’s shoulder as he said, “How nostalgic. I haven’t heard anyone call me that in years.” 

Jeralt shook his head as he commented, “Normal people would be offended, you know that right?”

“Yes, I suppose so, but, for me, it is refreshing. But I must say, you haven’t changed at all, Sir Jeralt.” The king gave his friend a once-over as he continued, “You look exactly the same as when I was-”

Lambert’s words died when he finally saw what Jeralt was holding in his arms. 

In the large knight’s arms was the smallest baby he has ever seen. The baby was staring at him with big blue eyes that reminded him of a bouquet of cornflowers and, if he hadn’t known that it was an actual living baby, he would have thought he was looking at a beautiful porcelain doll.

Realizing that the king’s attention has been caught by the baby in his arms, the knight leaned closer, showing the younger man the baby in his arms as he introduced, “Byleth, this is Lambert. He used to follow me around when he was a student.”

A pink hue appeared on Lambert’s cheeks at those words but kept quiet as the older man continued, “King Lambert, this is Byleth, my daughter.”

“Your daughter?” He had to repeat, unsure on how to process such information. He didn’t even remember him being interested in anyone in the monastery and the child, Byleth, did not even look like him. However, the soft expression the older man had as he stared at the small baby in his arms was genuine. So instead of questioning the validity of his claims, the king simply leaned towards them, smiling at the baby as he greeted softly, “Hello, little one.”

The baby blinked at him and reached out a chubby hand. He held out his index finger and she grasped it. He shook his index hand in a mockery of a handshake, giving a small grin when the baby simply let him do as he wishes with the same doll-like expression. 

He felt her hold his index finger as he raised his head to look at her father as he asked, “So what brings you here, Sir Jeralt? I assume it is not because of the celebrations?”

The older man’s eyes grew dark and he sat back on the chair. He nodded his head towards the chair next to him as he suggested, “I think you better sit down for this. It’s… a long story.”

Lambert obliged Jeralt’s request and sat on a chair next to him, waiting for the man to start.

What he heard was not what he was expecting. By the end of Jeralt’s explanation, he had opened the bottle of mulled wine he had been hiding in the last drawer and he was on his third glass while the knight… former knight of Seiros was already on his fifth. 

He had so many questions. One of which was more information about the child’s mother because “Rhea’s handmaiden” was a vague description at best. He didn’t even know that the archbishop had a handmaiden. There had been a nun close to the archbishop if he remembered correctly. He remembered her because she had always worn a veil and was clad in a garb more similar to the archbishop’s clothes than the other nuns and monks in the monastery. The other was the fact that Jeralt had apparently only named his daughter a month ago and had been calling her kid before that. He wanted to ask if the name Byleth was a spontaneous name or if it meant something. 

However, he realized that he should focus on the most important part of all. 

Lambert looked at his glass as he said, “Please correct me if I am wrong with any of these but you are saying that you’re more than a hundred years old? And the archbishop is most probably older than that?”

“You don’t have to believe that part if you want.” The older man shrugged as he finished his fifth glass. He poured himself another glass as he said, “That part isn’t really important.”

Oh, Lambert bet it wasn’t. 

“Oh yes. Because the important part is that the archbishop, the most influential person in all of Fodlan may be conducting questionable experiments or rituals to unsuspecting people which includes your daughter.” The king drawled, turning his head to stare at the former knight, “Dear Goddess, can you just imagine the chaos this will bring to Fodlan if it proves to be true?”

“The church will lose all of its credibility!” Lambert exclaimed, “The empire will definitely move against the church if they find out and we…”

Jeralt turned to look at him when he stopped talking. Lambert returned his gaze back to his half-full glass, watching the mulled wine inside swirl as he moved his wrist into a counter-clockwise movement. Lambert watched his wine as he asked, “So now what? You tell me the church may be corrupt and the archbishop is most definitely not in her right mind but we have no evidence to collaborate your claims.”

He turned to look at the sleeping child in Jeralt’s arm as he added, “A baby without a heartbeat is hardly damning evidence and I, for one, do not wish to use an innocent child as evidence. It would simply be too cruel.”

“I want to find out what Rhea really did to my daughter.” The older man admitted seriously, “I thought about leaving Fodlan or maybe becoming a roaming mercenary but… I just know that there will come a time when the church will find me and I’ll be forced to return to the monastery with her.”

The king frowned at that but he could not deny it. No one will be able to deny the church what it wanted, especially not a knight who had abandoned his post. 

“If Rhea sees her, she’ll know. No matter what excuse I make, she will know who this kid is as long as I’m with her.” The older man stared at his daughter and held her gently as he whispered, “The only way to protect her is for me to stay away from her.”

“Sir Jeralt.” Lambert called out, finally realizing why the older man was waiting for him in the first place.

“I don’t know a lot of people and the people I do know either work for the church or is too weak to go against the church.” Jeralt turned his head to stare at the king of Faerghus as he added, “Except you.”

He couldn’t help the loud surprised chuckle that escaped his lips. He placed his glass to the table as he reminded Jeralt, “I am the king of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Our very existence is chained to the church and its teachings. I and my kingdom should be the last person you can trust with your vendetta against the archbishop.”

Jeralt nodded before he mused, “That’s true but, before this kingdom was granted its independence by the church, it, and by extension the Leicester Alliance, was a band of northern lords who were loyal, not to Adrestia, but to the Blaiddyds, the unofficial ruler of the north.”

The younger man, of course, knew that his companion was talking about. Loog may have been the one to push for the kingdom’s independence but, even before the great hero Loog, the northern lords of Fodlan had been loyal to the Blaiddyds. It was one of the greatest secrets kept in the north. 

“Adrestia may rule over Fodlan but the north follows Blaiddyd.”

There was a reason why the legends concerning the hero Blaiddyd would always describe him as a regal but independent knight who bowed to Seiros only and how the loyalty of Gautier and Fraldarius was to him and him alone. Some even say that the elites’ leader had been Blaiddyd during the war against Nemesis but Lambert never believed that one and considered it just an embellishment made by the people of Faerghus. 

“The Leicester Alliance may have pulled away but the people of Faerghus are more loyal to the Blaiddyds than to the teachings of the Goddess.” Jeralt continued, “And you have never been the religious one.”

The king shrugged as he admitted casually, “I always did hate choir practice.”

He didn’t bother to correct the former knight’s assumption. Sure, most of the common people were loyal to the royal family but Lambert has already caught whiff of the growing chasm between the nobles loyal to the royal family and those who are more interested in furthering their own interests. There was a reason why he felt like he could barely listen to his court and tried to keep his queen away from the politics of it all. He could count on one hand the nobles in his court he could trust not to stab him in the back given the chance. 

The former knight chuckled before he continued, “Also, I remembered your sense of justice back then. You never backed down whenever you see an injustice.”

Lambert leaned back to relax in his chair as he mused, “Yes and Rodrigue would scold me afterward.”

“Smart kid, that one.” Jeralt commented with a nod before he asked, a clear challenge in his tone, “So, Your Majesty… you tell me.”

“Should you help me or not?” 

  


**1159 - Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

The Duke of Fraldarius knew something was up the moment he heard that his liege has arrived unannounced and was now waiting for him in his private office. It had to be serious as the celebration of the Founding Day had just been a few days ago. This would mean that the king had left Fhirdiad most definitely the day after the celebration and the kingdom was currently in the hands of his wonderful but quiet queen and the royal court who would most definitely be nursing their alcohol-induced headaches. Not to mention, he only took his Lionguards with him which meant the journey was done in secrecy and haste. 

He was, however, not expecting the words that came out of Lambert’s lips.

“You want me to raise that child who happens to be Sir Jeralt’s only daughter as my own while her real father is out finding evidence of the archbishop abusing her power?” Rodrigue couldn’t hide the disbelief in his tone. He couldn’t deny that his closest friend and king would sometimes have the strangest and most reckless plans. There was a reason why he tried to keep a close eye on his king as often as he could. 

Rodrigue wished he was sitting right now instead of standing close to the king in the middle of his private office while two of his Lionguards were standing on both sides of the door silently. It was during this time that he wished that the Lionguards would actually comment at what was happening right now. He was sure that they didn’t approve of this plan.

Or, at least, he hoped they didn’t approve of this plan. 

Dear goddess, he wished he had a glass of the strongest Mateus mulled wine. He had a feeling he was going to need it as he listened to his closest friend and king. 

“That’s right.” Lambert replied with a small smile on his face as he stared at the baby in his arms. 

The duke could feel a headache coming.

“Lambert.” He said as he pinched the bridge of his nose, making the king raise his head to stare at him in surprise. While Rodrigue was, without a doubt, his closest friend and only second to his beloved queen as his most important person (Rufus knew he was third, just like Lambert knew he was second to Rufus’ beloved hunting dog Maximilian), his oldest friend rarely call him by his name. So anytime he hears his name on Rodrigue’s lips, he knew it was serious. The dark-haired man looked a bit hesitant as he asked, “Have you considered that perhaps Sir Jeralt is lying to you?”

“Sir Jeralt will not lie to me.” Lambert immediately defended, turning to the baby in his arms as he cooed, “Don’t listen to your other father. He’s just a bit jealous.”

“Other fat-” Rodrigue stopped himself from finishing that sentence.

Dear Goddess.

This man… he swears…

Rodrigue closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes, saw his king cooing at the silent baby in his arms and closed them again before taking an even deeper breath. Once he was sure that he could talk to Lambert calmly, he opened them and tried to reason, “I am just saying that perhaps Sir Jeralt was not telling you the whole truth.”

“Of course he wasn’t.” Lambert agreed easily, poking the baby’s nose lightly. His lips curved into a small grin as she scrunched her face.

“Ye- Wait, what?” Rodrigue was momentarily surprised by that admission, making Lambert roll his eyes. 

“Please, Rodrigue. As much as I look up to Sir Jeralt-”

“Adore would be a more accurate term.” The duke couldn’t help but correct. 

If Rufus was here, he would probably correct it as ‘fond’ or maybe something more scandalous. 

“I know he is not saying the whole truth. There are many missing details he should know when he talked to me.” His king continued as if he hadn’t said anything.

“Then why agree to help him?” He asked with a slight frown on his face.

Lambert stared at him silently for a few moments before he stated solemnly, “Since the foundation of our kingdom, we have been bowing down to the will of the church.”

“What else can we do?” Lambert asked, sounding as if he was talking to himself, “We are bound to the church. The very existence of our kingdom is tied to the church by both honor and gratitude.”

“Lambert… are you…” 

“But now, a former knight of that very same church may have just given us the key to unlocking our chains to the church.” Lambert mused and stared at the baby in his arms, “If we can uncover evidence that the church, that the archbishop, has been abusing their power and performing despicable rituals to innocents without their consent, well…”

Lambert turned to his friend as he asked, “It wouldn’t be honorable of us to remain sided with such despicable people, isn’t that right?”

Rodrigue stared at his king for a few moments before replying solemnly, “Of course not, my king. The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus will not stand by such atrocity.”

Lambert nodded at those words before turning his attention back at the child in his arms, “Besides, regardless of how much truth Sir Jeralt has told me, the fact remains that something has been done to this child.”

The king’s eyes darkened as he said quietly, “I cannot stand by as innocents are trampled on by those in power, even if it is by the will of the church’s Goddess.”

Knowing there was no way to change his majesty’s mind now that he understood where he was coming from, Rodrigue sighed and said, “Very well. I am yours to command, sire.”

Lambert faced him with a boyish grin as he said, “I knew I could count on you, my friend.”

“However.” Rodrigue raised his hand to stop his king and asked, “I would like to know why you think this child should be under my care.”

“Because you both have blue hair.” Lambert replied immediately, all the while smiling at the blue-haired man in front of him.

“We do not-” Rodrigue stopped and corrected himself, “Yes, we both have blue hair and it is a well-known fact that we Fraldarius usually have blue hair but we don’t even have the same color of blue. Ours is obviously darker than hers.”

“Ainara has fair hair.” Lambert noted, making his friend stare at him with a look that he has known from experience and time with the dark-haired man as ‘you’re an idiot but you’re my friend and king so I will only judge you silently’. 

“I do not think that’s how it works, Your Majesty.” Rodrigue deadpanned before he reminded his liege, “Also, Ainara just gave birth to Glenn a year ago and she had a hard time back then. It would definitely be too soon for her to give birth to another child.”

“Exactly.” The king replied with a nod. He leaned towards his friend so he could show him the small baby in his arms as he said, “Ainara never grew big with Glenn so we can easily say that she had been secretly pregnant because you both believed that it was too soon and feared that the child will not make it. It’s a surprise to both of you that she was able to safely give birth last Garland Moon.”

“Garland Moon?” The duke repeated and frowned as he commented, “Forgive me, your majesty, but she certainly looks too small to be a baby born during Garland Moon.”

“Of course, she was born a few days before the fire of Garreg Mach so I assume she was born on Horsebrow Moon.” Lambert explained with a nod, “However, we cannot simply use that month or any other month after that. That could easily get the church’s attention now, wouldn’t it?”

“So you are making this child’s birth earlier and using Ainara’s condition to explain why she is smaller than a baby that should have been born in Garland Moon?” Rodrigue had to admit it was a brilliant plan.

But he was not going to say that out loud. Goddess forbid, Lambert starts making more of these outrageous plans.

Lambert’s eyes softened as he admitted, “I know this is a huge burden to you and Ainara but you two are the best choice this child can have, given our circumstances. I cannot take her as my own due to my position. If she becomes a princess of Faerghus, the church would certainly take notice. Rufus has made it clear that he does not wish to have any children when he secretly had Doctor Abraham perform that surgery to… remove any possibility of conceiving from his side… and simply enjoys the carnal pleasure he receives from the act itself. While we can make it so that this child is a product of Rufus’... casual encounters but that would be a cruel fate to have and she does not deserve that.”

Rodrigue frowned at the reminder. The Grand Duke had kept it a secret, of course, but he had hated how he had been treated by the court and the other nobles as a crestless Blaiddyd and that made him almost aghast over the idea of having children of his own. The court doctor, Abraham Gauis, had secretly performed surgery at his behest and he had only told his younger brother about it. Rodrigue knew about it because his king had told him, unable to keep it a secret from his closest friend.

“I had thought of asking Gustav but… he and his wife have been trying for so long. I fear if I was to ask this of him, they will take it the wrong way.” Lambert continued with a slight frown, “And among the court, I thought of Count Gellum as he is unmarried but his loyalty to us Blaiddyds is unquestionable. This will also keep her in Fhirdiad where I could keep an eye on her and provide her with a name that shall offer her both protection and opportunity. However, his sister is married to an Imperial noble and, well, I prefer not to risk getting the Empire involved in all this.”

“I would assume that, considering we are planning on removing the church’s influence in our kingdom, allying with the empire which has had a very strained relationship with said church for years now would be something you would consider.” The dark-haired man commented with a raised eyebrow. 

“A removal we plan to do in secret.” The blond-haired man reminded his friend, “Being seen as getting quite friendly with the empire would probably catch the church’s eye now, wouldn’t it?”

“A fair assumption to make.” Rodrigue conceded, sighing as he mused in all seriousness, “So that only leaves me.”

“Yes.” Lambert nodded solemnly.

No one bothered to mention Margrave Gautier or Countess Galatea. Margrave Gautier, while loyal, has shown he wasn’t a good candidate with how he had treated his firstborn Miklan who was of the same age as Glenn. Countess Galatea, on the other hand, had her hands full trying to govern Galatea and she already had two sons to take care as well even with the complete support of her husband.

The duke stared at the baby in his friend’s arms. She had remained quiet all this time, staring at them with her big blue eyes. The blue color of her eyes reminded him of the cornflowers he once gifted to his wife. Gently, he took the baby from Lambert, cradling her the same way he remembered doing to Glenn when he had just been born. The baby didn’t seem to mind and Rodrigue leaned forward. The baby raised her chubby hand to grasp a few strands of his hair. She didn’t tug it, seemingly satisfied by just holding it in her grasp. 

“What’s her name?” Rodrigue asked softly.

“Byleth.” Lambert replied, stroking the baby’s fuzzy blue hair.

“Do the church knows that’s her name?” Rodrigue asked, gently pressing his finger on the baby’s hand. She let go of his hair and grasped his index finger instead.

“No. Sir Jeralt seemed to have named her just a month or so ago.” The king whispered back.

“She’s been left unnamed for months?” Rodrigue asked with raised eyebrows.

“I am sure Sir Jeralt had more pressing matters to think about than what to name his daughter.” Lambert defended with a slight frown. 

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Rodrigue drawled, rolling his eyes at his friend’s immediate defense over the former knight of Seiros. The dark-haired man lowered his eyes back to the small baby in his arms and whispered, “Hello, little one. I will be your father-”

Lambert cleared his throat and Rodrigue corrected at the same soft voice, “Your other father while your birth father is away. We might not be related by blood but, I promise you, I will protect you, my dear daughter.”

“My dear Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Names of Characters Appearing/Being Mentioned In This Chapter (Which May Become Important or Not):  
Jeralt Reus Eisner, former knight of Seiros  
Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus  
Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Duke of Fraldarius  
Ainara Violette Fraldarius (nee Mateus), Duchess of Fraldarius  
Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, firstborn son of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Rufus Faust Blaiddyd, Grand Duke of Itha  
Abraham Gauis, Court Doctor to the Royal Family  
Leonardo Cael Gellum, Count and a member of the Royal Court  
Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius (birth name Byleth Eisner), daughter of the Duke of Fraldarius  
(Kingdom nobles, why do you guys all have second names? It’s hard enough to find one name for NPCs, now I have to find two?)
> 
> What happened to Galatea?  
So in the story, the legend goes that the elite heroes Fraldarius and Gautier are the only ones who were loyal to the hero Blaiddyd. This is because Galatea is an off-shoot of Daphnel as seen by Ingrid’s crest being Daphnel. Fun fact: when I checked the crest bearers and the map of Fodlan, 9 (10 if you count Maurice) of the Elites stayed up north while the crests holders in the south are mainly saint crests. Only Lamine actually went south and had descendants there. 
> 
> Lionguards  
The most loyal of the knights of Faerghus. Known for their silver lion helmet and a white-furred blue cape with a Blaiddyd crest sewn onto it instead of Faerghus’ coat of arms, the Lionguards are loyal to the royal family of Blaiddyd, not to the kingdom itself. To become a Lionguard, one must show undeniable proficiency in lances, faith magic and horse riding. A Lionguard has cast away their title and lineage if they are a noble but commoners who prove themselves are admitted as well, bound to serve the royal family until their death. (All of Lambert’s Lionguards perished during the Tragedy of Duscur. Dimitri and Rufus’ Lionguards were mostly executed by Cornelia during the time skip and the remaining members were absorbed into the King of Lions Corps battalion Dimitri created during the war.)  
Here’s a [ chibi version of a Lionguard ](https://twitter.com/AngelInATeecup1/status/1179188168404291584) because I cannot draw animals, thus I cannot draw a lion’s helmet. 
> 
> Alternative Titles For this Fic:  
The Young Queen of Faerghus (wasn’t used because she won’t become the queen for… a long while)  
Daughter of the Shield  
The Daughter of Winter  
(The ones below were suggested by [eisneRiegan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eisneRiegan/pseuds/eisneRiegan))  
Fraldarius' Princess  
Daughter of the Blade and Shield  
Prince's Beloved Shield


	2. Late 1159 - 1160

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth spends her first year in Castle Fraldarius, cared for by her wet nurse.  
The news of a secret daughter has certainly intrigued the entire castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late 1159 is included in this chapter as it starts right after Lambert declares Rodrigue as Byleth’s other father. The other chapters will be more contained to a single year moving forward… hopefully.  
Mainly Fraldarius family feels (and drama) and Byleth being adorable.
> 
> Someone curses a bit in this chapter so beware of that.
> 
> By the way, it has come to my attention that “Everyone lives/Nobody dies” tag may have been misleading. The ‘everyone’ in that tag only protects the playable/recruitable characters (including DLCs characters whoever they may be). Other characters are fair game. Not saying they’re gonna die but… I’m also not saying they’re gonna live. You’ll just have to find out.

**1159 - Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

Ainara did not take the news well. 

That may be a bit of an understatement. 

Ainara refused to acknowledge Byleth and they had a huge fight over it. His wife had been furious by the fact that she was given no say about it, that everything had been decided without her knowing that the king had been here in the first place. His Majesty had left with his Lionguards as soon as he had agreed to take Byleth into his household, most probably worried about his queen being in the same room as the court far too long. Ainara refused to have any part of this… plan. She will not divulge any secret but she also would not play along. 

Rodrigue counted it as a win. 

Ainara had always been a bit stubborn and she had always felt that she was always second place to their king in her husband's eyes. 

She wasn't wrong. Their marriage had been a political move to gain House Mateus' loyalty for the royal family and Rodrigue had accepted it as a duty given to him by both his late father and the previous king. 

The day they first met was the day they got married. He was supposed to marry her older sister but she died four years before his marriage to Ainara. Ainara was the youngest of her siblings and was six years younger than him, having a minor crest of Fraldarius from a distant Fraldarius ancestor that married into House Mateus. However she was quite frail, her fair hair lighter than the Blaiddyd's locks and her light brown eyes against her pale skin made her look sickly, like some kind of winter ghost. The Fraldarius crest was a crest made for combat and her frail body was not meant for such a crest. He later heard that her father had been trying to push her to Rufus but the death of her older sister had forced her father's hand to give her to House Fraldarius instead. 

He had been kind to her and they had an amicable relationship. He would even dare say they were somewhere in between being close friends and being in love. 

And, during that time, Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius was born. It wasn't official yet as it was highly discouraged to test someone if they have a crest until they were at least two years old but many of the Castle Fraldarius maids and knights have seen the Fraldarius crest glow on his son's forearm on occasions. 

Ainara's health plummeted after Glenn's birth and she was bedridden for two months after the birth. Even to this day, she was still recovering. With Glenn apparently having a Fraldarius crest, they had both decided they wouldn't try for another child until she was better. 

The sudden appearance of a secret daughter only a year after Glenn was definitely not part of their plan and has brought both skepticism and intrigue to everyone, most especially those in Castle Fraldarius. Even his younger brother had sent him a letter scolding him for pushing Ainara and that was surprising as Luciano had stayed away from anything connected to their family since the death of their father, content with taking care of his people in the northern part of Fraldarius. His correspondence with his younger brother had been mainly reports of his lands and the occasional battle reports whenever Margrave Gautier needed assistance against Sreng. 

He knew that his daughter’s sudden appearance had caught the attention of Fraldarius territory and the neighboring territories. Fortunately, the church seemed to not be interested given there has been no inquiry from House Charon or the Western Church. He was also fortunate as he had managed to get a wet nurse who had been serving the family since she was a child and made it appear that she had been in the service of his daughter from the very beginning. The wet nurse had taken it without any complaints and, from what he could see when he was able to observe her with his daughter, she was kind and attentive. 

**Late 1159 to 1160 - Hunydd Powe, Castle Fraldarius**

Hunydd met Lady Byleth late afternoon, a few days after the celebration of the kingdom's founding. Duke Fraldarius had informed her that the little lady's previous wet nurse had died and she was to be the replacement but the previous wet nurse’s death had been strange so he wanted her to make it seem like she had been nursing the little lady from the very beginning. 

She had been surprised that the duke and duchess already had another child. The duchess was still weakened from the little lord's birth but it was not her place to ask questions. She had been serving the Fraldarius since she could help out in the kitchens and they have never mistreated any of their servants. If they wish to keep some things a secret, it was not her place to question them so she simply agreed without any complaints. She took the little lady in her arms and she couldn't help but admire her. 

She was such a little baby that Hunydd was afraid she had gotten the duchess' constitution yet there was a certain beauty to her that was so unique, so unlike the duchess' cold winter flower beauty or the duke's kindly knight image. 

And her blank expression, staring at her with such big blue eyes, was both unnerving yet enthralling at the same time. 

The little lady was a quiet child. If she wanted something, she would raise her hand towards her or at the thing she wanted and made a sound that Hunydd could only describe as a grunt. It was so much different than her son's loud crying and it was a blessing but also worrying. 

And she, unfortunately, easily worried about things, especially concerning the child in her care. 

She had tried to ask the other women who had older children if they have ever encountered such a child and if it was normal or not. 

She didn't expect her questions to be turned into gossip by the entire castle staff. 

She had been aghast when she found out. 

Some whispered that the little lady was abnormal, that the duchess' health had done something to the little lady during the pregnancy or perhaps it had something to do with her apparent lack of crest. By her age, the little lord had already been activating his Fraldarius crest and the fact that she has not could very well mean she was crestless. 

“Poor child. Born crestless even when both of her parents are minor crest bearers. The Goddess must have cursed her.” They would whisper behind Hunydd’s back as she walked the little lady around the castle as part of their daily routine. 

Some whispered that the little lady wasn't wanted and the reason why the duchess seemed cold and distant to her own daughter was that she had been against having another child but was forced to as many noble families usually have two children, the heir and the spare. 

“Lady Ainara would not even hold her and have you seen how cold she had been to Duke Rodrigue? Such a shame.” They would whisper whenever Hunydd would accidentally bump into the duchess during their walk. Hunydd couldn’t even deny it as the duchess’ light brown eyes barely stay on her daughter’s face and her greeting would also be brief, her questions about her own daughter’s health or day polite but distant. 

After that event, Hunydd no longer talked to any other servants unless she needed to. The only other servant she would usually talk to was the little lord's nanny. She was a bit strict for Hunydd's liking but she let the little lord visit his sister every day and Hunydd loved watching the two of them together. The little lord always looked so happy with his little sister, trying to talk to her and get her to play with him. His little sister was still too young for that but the little lord didn't seem to mind. 

It always made Hunydd a bit sad whenever his nanny would say "Lord Glenn, it's time we leave" so every day, she was sure to whisper to the little lady when he visited once more "Look, Milady, Lord Glenn is here to see you". 

Hunydd’s favorite part of the day was when the duke would visit his daughter. It was usually a short visit as he was a busy man but it always warmed Hunydd’s heart whenever he would have enough time to hold his daughter and tell her stories about the king and their time at the academy. A lot of the stories concerned a knight of Seiros as well and Hunydd was only mildly ashamed that she was eavesdropping because they were entertaining stories. She especially loved hearing about the many mischievous adventures the king did when he had been a student. It made their king sound… more human.

When the little lady finally managed to walk on her own, she had been elated and so excited that she had rushed them both to the duke’s office. Some of his high ranking officers had been inside and she had feared that she would be punished for barging in but the little lady saved her by walking up to her father with unsteady legs. She tripped but managed to grab her father’s cloak to catch herself. When she looked up to her father, the duke’s face brightened into a huge smile and he had been as overjoyed as Hunydd, praising his daughter and taking her into his arms to twirl around. Even the officers in the room got caught up by their lord’s joy and congratulated the little lady enthusiastically. 

She would later find out that the duke had dismissed the meeting immediately and quickly wrote a letter to the king. The idea of such a great man like the duke sending an inconsequential letter detailing his daughter’s newest accomplishment to the most powerful person in the entire kingdom made her giddy for weeks. 

The many gifts the king, and apparently the queen, sent afterward had been a chore to organize but they were all such beautiful gifts, most of which are beautiful clothes that the little lady will grow out off in a matter of months so she made sure the little lady wore those every day.

Hunydd was going to die. She was sure she was going to die.

“Wen.” 

“By!”

“Wen.”

“By!”

Oh, sweet merciful Goddess up in heaven.

She was going to die.

The little lord grinned at his little sister as they continue to hold hands, calling his little sister, “By!”

His little sister answered almost immediately, “Wen.” 

Oh my Goddess.

The little lady’s lips curved into a grin similar to her brother’s.

Hunydd couldn’t help but start to cry.

Today wasn’t just the first day the little lady has spoken her first word. Today was also the first time the little lady has ever smiled.

She quickly asked that the little lord’s nanny to look after the two and went to look for the duke.

The image of the duke grinning widely at his two children as he watched them call each other was such a beautiful sight that Hunydd felt so grateful to be chosen as the little lady’s wet nurse.

She didn’t see the duchess watch her family just outside the door with a soft but pained expression on her face.

**1160, Garland Moon - Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Castle Gautier**

Castle Gautier was built by the sea, on the northmost part of the lands ruled by House Gautier. It was created to withstand the harsh winter enveloping the land during the final months of the year, made even harsher by being next to the sea, and kept a smooth guarded road leading to Fraldarius to ensure continued supplies and support. The other smooth road leads to Fort Appeven to the east where most of Gautier's knights are stationed and ready to subjugate any army coming from Sreng. It would only take two hours by horse to travel from Castle Gautier to Fort Appeven which was crucial as the ruler of House Gautier was almost always the wielder of the Lance of Ruin. With the meticulously maintained road, the wielder could easily travel to Fort Appeven if the situation starts to become dire. 

Fortunately, Rodrigue and his family were not here because of Sreng but because of the birth of Margrave Ruger Juan Gautier's second son. 

Margrave Gautier was four years older than him and the king but they were close since they were children together with Sigurn of House Galatea and they hoped their children would be just as close as well. That was why he was waiting with his family for the king and queen here in Castle Gautier's largest and warmest waiting room. The Fraldarius knights they took with them were most probably in the barracks or perhaps even the local tavern. Being close allies with House Gautier meant their knights were close as well. Other than his wife and two children, only their children's nannies and two knights were with them in the waiting room. Normally, the proper etiquette would be for them to greet the margrave and his family instead of waiting for the royal couple but the king has specified that he wished to greet the margrave together with the duke’s family. 

Which was absolutely fine with Rodrigue. He and Ruger got along but they usually start to need a buffer the longer they converse with one another. It was usually Countess Galatea but she and her husband were too busy to leave their lands for today. The king would be a suitable replacement as their buffer although, sometimes, Rodrigue felt like the two were trying to make him have a headache on purpose when they decide to do something stupid that he had to be the one to stop or to, at the very least, make ‘less’ stupid. 

For now, he was content to watch their children play on the rug near the fireplace. Byleth was getting better on standing and running which Glenn took as a sign that she was ready to swing a toy sword. They were sitting near the fireplace with his little sister sitting on his lap as he covered the hand that was currently holding a toy sword. Glenn made a whooshing sound as he guided his sister's hand to a downward slash. He raised their sword arm once more and made another whooshing sound as he brought their hands down. 

Again and again, his son made a whooshing sound as he guided their hands to different sword swings. 

It made a small smile appear on his face. 

Then he heard another voice joined Glenn in making a whooshing sound. He thought he had imagined it but the second voice continued to join his son's voice as they swung the toy sword. Glenn's voice became more cheerful and their swings became faster. His son's nanny looked a bit worried but his daughter's nanny looked overjoyed. 

He felt his wife's grip on his hand tightened ever so slightly. He turned to look at her and his smile turned soft. She was not smiling but she looked at the two children with softness in her eyes. 

It might take time but he believed there will come a day where they can truly become a family. 

Rodrigue's musing came to a halt as the door opened and he heard his closest friend greet, “Sorry for the wait, everyone.”

Rodrigue and his wife immediately stood and bowed at the royal couple. Their knights and their children’s nannies also bowed at them. Four Lionguards entered the room after the royal couple, two of them closing the door behind them. 

The proper protocol would be for the king to say “at ease” so they could stop bowing.

However…

“Byleth!” Lambert cheerfully greeted, going straight to the duke’s children. He crouched right in front of the two and ruffled Glenn’s head as he asked with a grin, “Is it alright for me to borrow your little sister for a while, Glenn?”

Glenn stared at his little sister. She stared back at him for a moment before turning her attention towards the older man in front of them. Lambert immediately opened his arms which made his royal cape fluttered behind him. She stared for a few seconds before finally standing. She walked towards the king, her steps a bit wobbly but, sure enough, she managed to reach the blond-haired man. Lambert scooped the little girl in his arms and easily lifted her as he stood. He kept his arm under her so she can sit on his forearm while she held onto his cape. 

Sensing that the king didn’t even realize they were still bowing at them, Rodrigue finally stood straight. Everyone took their cues from him and finally stopped bowing. Rodrigue took a quick glance around, noticing that two of the Lionguards have replaced his knights between the door and his knights stood next to them. One Lionguard was standing by the corner that has a complete view of the room while the last Lionguard stood behind the queen who was smiling sweetly at the king as he walked towards her.

Queen Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd was a small woman with long brown hair and vibrant green eyes. She was a quiet woman who preferred to be alone, reading a book by the fire.

“My love, may I present to you, Lady Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius.” Lambert introduced the little girl in his arm.

“Oh, my king, she is as adorable as you say.” Cardia cooed as she smiled at the little girl, “Hello, Lady Byleth. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“Yes, she is.” Lambert agreed before continuing, “But, of course, you are more beautiful, my love.”

“Oh, my king, stop.”

And she and the king were sickeningly sweet together.

Glenn walked towards his mother and held onto her gown. The duchess patted her son’s head as she stared at the royal couple cooing at their daughter all the while being all sweet at one another.

“Oh, I do hope we would have a daughter as cute as her.” The queen sweetly commented as she caressed Byleth’s short hair.

The king grinned at his queen as he suggested playfully, “Or we can have a son and have her marry Byleth instead?”

Rodrigue could feel his wife staring at him from behind so he cleared his throat. 

The royal couple continued to coo over the child in the king’s arm.

The duke raised his head to stare at the ceiling.

Goddess, give him strength…

Rodrigue counted to five before he turned his eyes back to the royal couple. He loudly called out to the king, “Your Majesty.” 

Lambert hummed and turned his head to stare at his closest friend while the queen continued to talk to Byleth sweetly, “Do you like lions, my dear?”

Rodrigue forgot whatever he was about to say when the Lionguard behind the queen took out a stuffed animal bigger than his daughter from under their cloak.

How in the goddess’ name did that even fit there?!

The queen presented the stuffed animal to his daughter, holding the stuffed animal by its armpits, and said sweetly, “Look, Byleth. Roar.”

The stuffed animal was a white lion with a blue mane and it was obviously custom made, perhaps even personally crafted by the court tailor. The fabric used was obviously expensive and he was pretty sure the blue eyes were actual gems. His daughter patted the lion’s mane and the queen handed it to her. She took it with both of her hands and looked at it with her doll-like face. She raised her head to look at the smiling queen before returning her attention at the stuffed lion. She turned the stuffed lion so it was facing away from her and held it by the armpits. She raised the stuffed lion towards the queen and repeated, “Roar.”

The royal couple looked so mesmerized by his daughter’s antics and he was pretty sure that he just heard the queen squeal softly (or was it Lambert? Dear goddess, he hoped it wasn’t Lambert).

His daughter turned towards her family, presented the stuffed lion and called out, “Wen. Roar.”

Glenn grinned and ran towards his sister. He raised his arms and formed his hands into claws as he said, “Roar!”

His daughter lifted the stuffed lion once more and tried Glenn’s roar, “Roar!”

The queen looked so smitten by the interaction. 

The king, on the other hand, was grinning at the two children. His eyes glanced at Rodrigue and saw the dark-haired man staring at him. He continued to grin as he asked, “Yes, Rodrigue?”

“Margrave Gautier.” Rodrigue deadpanned.

His dear friend blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

“Oh, right!” 

Rodrigue prayed to the Goddess for the strength to carry on. 

Thankfully, Margrave Ruger Juan Gautier was not insulted by their late entrance. He did, however, raised an eyebrow at Rodrigue when he saw that their king was still holding the duke’s daughter in his left arm which was made more strange by the fact that Byleth was still holding her newly acquired stuffed lion. The duke simply shrugged at his old friend and nodded at their king.

The margrave understood the silent explanation, both of them already used to his majesty’s slight eccentricity. 

The celebration of his second son’s birth only had the margrave’s family, the royal couple and his family. It would have been complete had Sigurn’s family joined as well but they all understood that the lands they’re ruling were currently in need of their constant supervision, especially now that they should already be preparing for the coming winter. It might be too early for the other territories but Galatea needed to prepare early as the territory had been struck by a bad harvest last Lone Moon. Even if they have a bountiful harvest during Horsebow Moon, they would still have problems with their rations for the upcoming winter if they don’t start rationing and perhaps buy supplies from either the nearby Kingdom territories or Alliance territories. 

Since it was a private celebration, the queen happily ate as many Gautier cheese as she could shamelessly. She didn’t even bother to hide the fact that she was eating them as is, instead of adding them to any of the dishes on the table. The king simply stared at his love with such fondness Rodrigue and Ruger had to glance at each other with resigned but amused expression on their face, both having suffered through their friend’s lovestruck expressions ever since he saw Cardia in a ball in Fhirdiad years ago.

Surprisingly, she had been trying to sneakily devour all the Gautier cheese back then too. 

With the king too preoccupied with both his queen and the quiet child on his lap that he was feeding mashed apples to, the queen happily chatted with the duchess and the margravine, cooing at the margravine's baby. The margrave's first son and his son sat next to each other, eating quietly while their nanny supervised from behind. His daughter’s nanny was silently panicking behind the king, unsure of what to do as his majesty continued to feed her charge with the mashed apples even when she should have already stopped, and Rodrigue couldn’t really help her. 

His daughter did have a big appetite that they try to regulate, fearing she might get sick later or worse, but it’s not like they could tell the cheerful king to stop feeding the child. 

That left the duke to talk to their host.

It wasn’t like he hated the margrave or anything like that. They just… had differing opinions on certain things.

House Gautier was a house of warriors and survivors, born and raised from the fires of battles and war. They were the Kingdom’s (and Fodlan’s) first and final defense against Sreng. The defense of Fort Appeven was their greatest priority and they take pride in their unblemished history of defending the Kingdom. This meant that they had a more warrior and survival mentality than House Fraldarius itself which was already more militaristic compared to the other houses in the Kingdom. Vital to the continued victory and survival of the house was the bearer of a Gautier crest who would lead their knights to battle with the Lance of Ruins. 

And so, Margrave Gautier was a bit too obsessed with having a crest bearing child which Duke Fraldarius could understand. 

What he could not condone was what had happened three years ago.

Margravine Orlene Adelheid Gautier, an auburn-haired woman with brown eyes, was actually the margrave’s second wife and younger than the duchess by a year. Three years ago, he had divorced his first wife after she had failed to carry a child to full term for the fourth time and had married his second wife a month later. Miklan Anschutz Gautier was born a year later. 

Rodrigue had been appalled by the callous way the older man had thrown away his first wife and the margrave had refused to talk about her, not even to their king. He was sure that those under Gautier rule were even ordered to never mention her. There were rumors that she had taken her own life or that she had returned to her family, a noble vassal family under Gideon but nothing could be verified. What everyone could agree on was that margrave’s first wife had disappeared from the public eye after the divorce. 

Thank the Goddess they have been able to keep their talk on safe topics, mostly about Sreng’s movements and making plans for the next mock battle between the Gautier Knights and the Fraldarius knights. 

Once the food had been mostly consumed, they moved their celebration to Castle Gautier’s courtyard. Rodrigue, the king, and their host sat in the gazebo in the middle of the courtyard with two of the king’s Lionguards standing on each side, just outside the gazebo. Each man nursed a cup of warm mulled wine. Their wives sat on the bench next to the oldest Bergamot tree, sharing a cup of locally grown Bergamot tea with the margravine holding her second son. Rodrigue noticed there were now four Bergamot trees in the courtyard. The last time he visited the margrave and passed by the courtyard, there had only been one Bergamot tree but that had been a long time ago back when the first margravine had been pregnant for the second time. He was actually surprised that their red-haired friend has decided to continue their celebration here in the courtyard. Every time he visited his friend, he always felt like the margrave avoided the courtyard as much as he could.

His children played with the margrave’s firstborn son near their mother, their own nannies hovering close by but not intervening with the children playing. Glenn and Miklan seemed to be playfighting with their toy sword while Byleth followed her brother (“Go, Wen!”) while hugging the big stuffed lion. Her nanny was the only one who watched worriedly, obviously wanting to let her little lady play without her interfering but unable to keep herself from fearing that the small child would trip on the stuffed lion’s tail or either toy sword hit her by mistake.

Rodrigue was not worried. His daughter may look fragile but he had seen for himself how she was stronger than how she looked. Even the bruises she gets when she fell while trying to walk back when she had just started to walk would heal almost instantly. He was sure it was an effect of a crest but he could never see any crest glow on her body at all.

He feared it might be connected to whatever the archbishop had done to her.

Rodrigue wanted to inform his liege about this, not trusting to put the incidents into a letter for fear it might get intercepted. However, he wasn’t sure if the king wanted the margrave to be informed of his daughter’s true parentage and circumstances. They were close, yes, and they trusted each other with their lives but the more people who knew about this, the higher the chance of someone accidentally being informed of everything. For now, he would follow his liege’s lead and find a time to inform him of the development in a more private setting.

“I’m thinking of removing the church’s influence over the kingdom’s affairs.” The king casually informed the margrave before taking a small gulp of his cup filled with mulled wine.

Goddess strike him down now with her heavenly fury.

The dark-haired man tiredly covered his face with his hand.

“Just tell me when, sire, and I’ll personally lay siege to Garreg Mach in your name.” Ruger proclaimed with the same casual tone as his king, "Fuck the church.” 

Margrave Gautier raised his cup as he proclaimed, “Glory to the North. Glory to the Wolf Kings." 

And this is why Rodrigue wished Sigurn was here. 

"Okay, stop right there. I am not planning to replace our kingdom's religion with the old north's worshipping of my ancestors." Their king shook his head as he clarified, "I have no plans to wage a war against the church. I simply wish to take away their influence over our affairs." 

“I’m sure the church would happily agree to it if you ask nicely.” The older man deadpanned, turning his attention to Rodrigue as he asked, “You’re awfully quiet, Rod. Have anything to say?”

“Please do not call me that.” Rodrigue immediately replied with a sigh, already used to being called by such a nickname by the red-haired man. He dropped his hand and turned to face Ruger as he said, “What our liege is trying to do is to remove the church’s influence over our kingdom. While it is true that they let us govern ourselves, we cannot deny that there have been instances where the church, more specifically the Western Church, have meddled in our affairs.”

“And I cannot simply announce it to the court and the other Kingdom nobles.” Lambert admitted, staring at his cup pensively, “I know I will have your support but the rest…”

The king raised his head and stared at the children playing as he explained, “The noble houses in our kingdom are split into three at the moment. Those who are loyal to the royal family, those whose faith to the church and its Goddess outweighs their loyalty to the royal family and those who are loyal only to their self-interest.”

Lambert moved his wrist counter-clockwise, making the mulled wine in his glass swirl, as he continued, “If I was to announce my desire to remove the church’s influence in our affairs, the second group will definitely be against it and they might revolt against the royal family. The third group will choose the side they think will win and we all know that it would be the side that the church will support.”

“Fuck them.” Ruger grunted, draining his cup before slamming it into the table. He grabbed the bottle of mulled wine and poured himself another cup as he growled, “If they dare stand against the true rulers of the north then they deserve to be executed.”

“Enough, Ruger.” Lambert ordered with a sigh, “The time of the Wolf Kings has passed.”

“You cannot deny our history, sire. The Blaiddyds ruled northern Fodlan ever since the hero Blaiddyd made Fhirdiad his home.” The margrave growled as he placed the bottle back to the battle a bit too hard. “Hell, House Riegan’s influence over the northeastern nobles was due to them having Blaiddyd blood.”

“House Riegan became an influential noble house due to their own skills, not because of the fact they have Blaiddyd blood in them. If that was the case, other noble houses having a Blaiddyd ancestor should have gotten the same recognition as House Riegan.” The king countered, frowning at his friend.

Rodrigue merely sipped his own cup quietly.

He understood what their oldest friend was talking about. Every child of Faerghus knew about the Wolf Kings, children stories (history) whispered in the harshest nights of winter. Mighty kings and queens of the north with grand adventures full of honor, chivalry, and independence, of a grand triumph against great adversaries and uniting a fractured country under one banner. They had been based on the ancients Blaiddyds and it was widely accepted that they had been ruling northern Fodlan even while Fodlan was under Adrestia rule. These childhood stories stay with the people of Faerghus and it had been an unwritten rule that these stories will not be told to anyone who wasn’t raised in Faerghus nor would any stories be told to anyone if they are not on Faerghus soil. In the beginning, when Fodlan was under the banner of Adrestia, it was due to the fear of what the empire would do if they do catch wind of such stories. Now, it was just one of the many traditions Faerghus had and no one ever bothered to go against it. 

But the further north they came from, the more those people treat such stories as more than just childhood stories, more than just a warm story to battle the chill of the winter night. It was easy to find people like that from Gautier, Itha and Fraldarius which were the northernmost part of Fodlan that was still part of the kingdom. People from Gautier territories, such as Ruger, would also share stories of the Wolf Kings during the momentary peacetime they would have when engaged with Sreng. 

To people like Ruger, the ancient Wolf Kings were the epitome of what a true ruler should be. The stories of the Wolf Kings were what their kingdom should aspire to be. 

Margrave Gautier stared at his liege for a moment before asking with a raised eyebrow, “Doesn’t it get tiring being so fucking polite all the time?”

There was a pause before the older man added, "... sire."

The king sighed and rubbed his forehead as he said solemnly, “We cannot afford to split our kingdom. If we plan to remove the church’s influence over our affairs, we must do it as a united kingdom.”

“And how do you expect to do that?” Ruger asked with a snort. 

“The third group will support us once the second group does.” Lambert placed his glass on the table as he continued, “To get the second group to our side, we remove their loyalty to the church.”

The margrave raised an eyebrow at those words but remained quiet, listening to his liege as he continued, “Their loyalty to the church stems from their faith to the Goddess. If we can show that the church is defying the Goddess’ teaching or doing horrible things in the name of the Goddess, their loyalty to the church will crumble.”

“So you’re going to make the church appear corrupt?” The red-haired man asked, making the dark-haired man roll his eyes while their liege chuckled.

The king shook his head before he continued, “There is no need to make it appear corrupt. All we need to do is obtain evidence that a high ranking member of the church is abusing their power. Once that is brought to light, everything the church has done, everything it is doing, all of those will be called into question. If one high ranking member could do such atrocity, how can we be sure this is an isolated case?”

The king turned towards his red-haired friend and raised his hand with only his index finger pointing up, “That one question will be the dagger we will use to cut through the second group’s loyalty to the church. If they continue to support the church, their own position will be called into question. The actual pious ones we can turn to our side by asking ‘Is this what the Goddess would want?’ and only a fool would agree in the face of such atrocities.” 

“Once all of the noble houses support me, we can declare that we are separating from the church.” Lambert proclaimed, turning to look at the children once more. The three have stopped their play fighting and the two boys were now talking to one another, making wild hand gestures that could only mean they were trying to explain something using their limited vocabulary. On the Fraldarius heir’s lap was his sister, sleeping as she hugged her stuffed lion. "Our people will be free to worship their Goddess if they wish but the church would no longer have any say to any of our affairs and we would no longer be honor-bound to ally ourselves with them. If we ever ally ourselves with them, it will be out of our own free will, out of our code of honor and chivalry.”

The head of House Gautier downed his entire cup in one go, slamming the cup to the table once he finished. He stared at his empty cup as he said, “That sounds like a solid plan, sire, and House Gautier is yours to command as you see fit. However…”

He turned to stare at his liege as he asked, “I don’t understand why you would want to tell me.”

He rolled his eyes as he added, “And I am sure it is not because we are friends. You know the risk of including too many people into such a delicate plan.”

The king chuckled before he agreed, “You’re right. Your loyalty is unquestionable, Ruger, and I do care for our friendship but that is not enough reason to tell this to you.”

“So… why tell me?” Ruger leaned back, his entire attention to his king.

“I have someone I trust looking into finding the damning evidence we need.” Lambert explained seriously, “However, if it was ever found out that the high ranking member of the church we were investigating was the archbishop herself, we must be prepared.”

“The archbishop?!” Ruger couldn’t help the raise of his voice. Thankfully, their wives didn’t seem to hear him or were pretending they didn’t hear him. Ruger rubbed his face twice before he hissed, “You’re mad, Lambert. If the archbishop learns that you were looking to discredit her, forget the church-going nobles. She will have the entire Knights of Seiros targeting your head. She’ll brand you a heretic and an enemy of the church!”

“And if that day comes…” His king said solemnly, his eyes still focused on the three children, “If the Knights of Seiros do try to take my head, those who are still loyal to my House will raise arms to protect me. When that happens, our kingdom will split into two and we will go to war.”

Lambert’s lips curved into a sardonic smile as he added, “Of course, I will not simply let them take my head. I am the king of Faerghus, my life belongs to our people, not to the church, and I will fight for our people’s freedom. If that day ever comes…”

Lambert’s eyes held a manic glint on them as he said, “I expect House Gautier and House Fraldarius to be my lance and my sword.” 

A huge grin appeared on Ruger’s face as he proclaimed, “Of course, my liege. House Gautier will lay ruin to all who dare stand in House Blaiddyd’s way.”

Rodrigue bowed slightly as he proclaimed seriously, “And House Fraldarius will cut through a path for House Blaiddyd.”

Lambert’s lips curved into a soft smile as he whispered, “Thank you, my dear friends.”

**1160, Wyvern Moon - The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus**

At the end of Wyvern Moon of the year 1160, an unknown plague starts to spread all over Faerghus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Names of Characters Appearing/Being Mentioned In This Chapter (Which May Become Important or Not):  
Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Duke of Fraldarius  
Ainara Violette Fraldarius (nee Mateus), Duchess of Fraldarius  
Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, firstborn son of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius (birth name Byleth Eisner), daughter of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Luciano Hektor Fraldarius, younger brother of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus  
Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd (nee Gideon), Queen of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus  
Ruger Juan Gautier, Margrave of Gautier  
Orlene Adelheid Gautier (nee Muzette), Margravine of Gautier  
Miklan Anschutz Gautier, firstborn son of Margrave of Gautier  
Sylvain Jose Gautier, second son of Margrave Gautier  
Sigrun Emilia Galatea, Countess of Galatea  
Hunydd Powe, Fraldarius servant, wet nurse and nanny to Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius
> 
> How many Lionguards are there? (They only have first names as they have cast away their title and lineage)  
Lambert has four Lionguards (Ulrich, Viktor, Korre and Donovan)  
Cardia has two Lionguards (Katya and Colette)  
Rufus has two Lionguards (Isaac and Lowell)  
(It’s hard to know which of them are females Lionguards as both male and female Lionguards wear the same armor.)
> 
> Byleth’s Emotional Growth  
Okay, so there are two leading theories as to why Byleth was emotionless during the start of the game. One theory is that Sothis was asleep so Byleth was incomplete (in a sense) while the other theory speculates that she started out emotionless and remained mainly stoic because of how she grew up, a wandering mercenary whose main human contacts were battle hardened veterans and main adult in her life is Jeralt who is quite stoic as well. For the purpose of this fic, we will be using the second theory so this Byleth would be more emotional than canon (but not that much because of… uuhhh, reasons) as she is surrounded by more emotional people, special mention to her wet nurse/nanny and Glenn. 
> 
> Glow of the Crest  
So it was never explained if the big crest symbol appearing whenever the character’s crest activated was actually canon. For this fic, if someone activates their crest, a crest will appear glowing on a part of their body for a few seconds. The part is fixed depending on the crest. The crest of Fraldarius will always glow on the bearer’s left forearm (their shield arm). The crest of Gautier will always glow on the bearer’s naval area. The crest of Daphnel will always glow on the bearer’s right arm (thank you [Ouka_noir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ouka_noir/pseuds/Ouka_noir) for noticing my miss of saying Galatea instead of Daphnel). The crest of Blaiddyd will always glow on the bearer’s back (which makes it appear like wings). Other crests glow will be explained as they appear.  
But because you guys might ask, the Crest of Seiros glows right on the heart area of the chest while the Crest of Riegan glows on the dominant eye of the bearer (the eye the bearer keeps open when they try to aim)


	3. 1161

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the age of two, noble children of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus are tested for crests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I said the first two chapters would be the only non-Byleth POV chapters. I unintentionally lied. Byleth is still too young, so this chapter will have other character’s POV as well. (some of you seem to like it?) Anyway, the older Byleth gets, the more the chapter will be centered on her.  
And later on, we might even get Dimitri's POV here. (nah, I'm pretty sure there is at least 1 main instance where I have to write using Dimitri's POV)

**Garland Moon, 1161 - Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Castle Gautier**

Ruger and Rodrigue both decided to celebrate their children’s birthday in Castle Gautier. It was a belated birthday celebration for Sylvain who was born on the 5th day and an early celebration for his daughter who was (officially) born on the 30th day. Count and Countess Galatea were able to leave their territory to their retainers for the day and had joined in the celebration with their two sons. Unfortunately, their king could not join this year as he was busy trying to confirm or debunk the rumor of a deadly sickness spreading through the commoners in Southern Faerghus. He had sent his gifts to the second Gautier son the day of his birth date though. 

Rodrigue was sure that he would also be sending a gift (many gifts considering the past two years he had to watch royal couriers deliver such ridiculous amount) to his daughter on her official birth date as well.

The celebration this year included a few northern nobles as well, many known supporters of House Blaiddyd and some influential northern nobles. Margrave Gautier was holding a conversation with most of them, making a joke or saying something funny that had them laughing politely.

Most of the nobles’ wives were being entertained by his wife, the Duchess of Fraldarius, while the margravine smiled and nodded at whatever it was his wife was saying. He wasn’t surprised. The margravine had been pale as a sheet when Ruger informed her she would have to entertain the guests. Ainara, while only a year older than her, had an appearance that many would call a Winter Beauty. Her appearance alone commanded respect and could easily intimidate people. He didn’t know what his wife was talking about but the nobles wives were listening attentively to her, even the margravine herself.

Count Galatea, on the other hand, was conversing with the men that had a wife with higher social standings. Their conversation seemed to be more casual than the margrave’s or his wife’s conversations and he could see them laugh freely a lot more. 

On the other hand, Countess Galatea…

“Hiding, Rodrigue? How very like you.” 

… appeared out of nowhere, standing beside him.

“I’m not hiding, simply… observing.” He replied as he turned to face his childhood friend. While the nobles were conversing in the ballroom, he had decided that watching from the balcony overseeing the ballroom would be the best room to use for… observation.

The countess rolled her eyes as she deadpanned, “I’m sure you are.”

Sigurn Emilia Galatea was a well known Pegasus Knight. She could have become a Falcon Knight directly under the king but she had married Joachim Byron Rolando instead when her father had died, leaving her as the last Galatea with a Daphnel crest. House Rolando was a vassal noble family of House Galatea and the two have been childhood sweethearts so no one was surprised when Joachim married into House Galatea even if he was crestless. She was also the oldest of them, being a year older than Ruger, and she already had two sons, Alfin Svend Galatea and Judah Mundi Galatea. Alfin was three years older than Miklan and Glenn while Judah was the same year as Byleth. Both of her sons got her dark hair but Alfin got Joachim’s green eyes while Judah had his mother’s light brown eyes. 

Speaking of her children…

“How are the children?” He asked, knowing that Sigurn had left the party to check on the children in the playroom with their nannies. 

“Most of the northern nobles’ children are playing with Miklan and Glenn. Those who aren’t are either too young or have their own circle of friends.” Sigurn shrugged as she added, “Or didn’t want to play with anyone.”

Sigurn leaned on the railing, watching the party below them as she added, “Alfin is keeping an eye on both of them. Judah and your daughter are playing with little Sylvain.”

She watched her friend from the corner of her eye as she asked, “She is your daughter, right?”

He turned his gaze towards the party below as he replied, “Of course she is. She’s my daughter.”

Sigurn hummed, finally turning her head to face him. She stared at him for a couple of an uncomfortably long amount of time in his opinion. (It was just a couple of seconds though)

She turned her entire body around and leaned back against the railing as she crossed her arms, her eyebrows furrowed as she asked, “Rodrigue, our king is not planning to do something utterly ridiculous and reckless, is he?”

Betting everything on a single former knight that he definitely admired to find damning evidence that will destroy the career of the most influential person in all of Fodlan was not ridiculous or reckless, was it?

“No. Of course not.” He replied quickly.

She simply stared at him silently, giving him that raised eyebrow look at Lambert had dubbed ‘the face of disbelief’ which Ruger had rejected and had dubbed ‘the face that says I know you’re bullshiting me so I’m going to judge you silently until you cave’.

But Rodrigue will not cave.

… not this time.

After another long amount of time passed, the older woman sighed and turned around. She placed both her hands on the railing as she said, “Fine. Keep our liege’s secret.” 

She nodded at herself as she added, “I’ll just have to save you three when the time comes.”

She stared at her friend as she deadpanned, “Again.”

“Three?” He repeated, furrowing his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes before she said in an exasperated tone, “We all know Ruger will be there since it's ridiculous and reckless.”

He couldn’t help the grin that appeared on his face as he nodded, “That is true.”

“Just…” She seemed to have trouble trying to find the right words to use so he waited patiently for her to continue. She stared at him with worried eyes and gently said, “Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, Rodrigue.”

He blinked at those words. He tilted his head slightly, unknowingly copying his daughter, as he asked, “Why would you say that, Sigurn? Do you think I do not take care of myself enough?”

Her lips curved into a small resigned smile as she explained, “You do but all of that goes out the window whenever His Majesty is involved. Just…”

She turned to face the party below as she said, “I just want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself, not pushing aside what you want or need for the sake of His Majesty’s goal.”

He frowned at those words, turning to face the party below as well as he said, “I am happy to be of service in any way I can to His Majesty.”

He could feel her eyes trained at him as she replied in a resigned tone, “I know. Both you and Ruger are the same in that regard.”

“_ I _ am the same in that regard.” She emphasized her first word before continuing, “It’s how we were born and raised. And our children will be the same when they grow up.”

He raised his head to look at the chandeliers littering the ballroom as he asked, “Will that be so wrong? For our children to be loyal to Lambert’s future child?”

“It’s not wrong.” She admitted with a soft smile, “As long as this child is worthy of such loyalty, it will never be wrong.”

“Then we’ll just have to work together to make sure Lambert doesn’t mess up now, don’t we?” He said in a joking manner, making his friend laugh.

She smiled at him and nodded, “Yes, I suppose so. We’ll support each other. Not just for Lambert but for each other as well.”

So…” She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, “Don’t hesitate to ask for help anytime you might need it, okay? No matter how hard things become in Galatea, I will always find the time to help you. Help any of you.”

He smiled softly at his friend and said, “Thank you, Sigurn.”

She pulled him towards her and bumped her head affectionately against his as she said, “Anytime, Rod. Anytime.”

**Wyvern Moon, 1161 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

Byleth didn’t like the infirmary. It smelled weird and people always looked sad whenever they would enter the room. Sometimes, they were even sad when they leave. Her nanny had explained to her that people who get sick have to go into this room so they can get better.

But if they’re there to get better, why would they all look sad when they go in?

The elderly man in front of her was nice. Her father called him ‘Doctor Abraham’ and she knew that doctors made people get better.

“By sick?” She asked her father as the doctor took out strange things out of his satchel.

“No, my child.” Her father immediately shook his head, giving her a small smile as he explained, “Doctor Abraham is here just to make sure you’re okay.”

She tilted her head slightly as she asked with furrowed brows, “By not okay?”

“I am sure you are okay, Byleth.” Her father sat next to her, rubbing her back soothingly as he asked, “Do you remember our secret?”

She glanced at the doctor in front of her then at the blond man she knew as ‘King Lamb’ who was standing behind the doctor. Understanding her dilemma, her father gently said, “It’s okay. You can tell Doctor Abraham and King Lambert about it.”

She placed both of her hands on her chest as she explained, “By’s heart no beat.”

“Doesn’t beat.” Her father correctly gently.

“By’s heart doesn’t beat.” She repeated dutifully, tripping on the new words slightly.

“That’s right.” Her father gently caressed her hair, careful not to mess up the light pink Chrysanthemum hairpin on both sides of her hair. Since the infirmary had its own fireplace, she only wore a white long-sleeved buttoned shirt and a high waist brown skirt that ends an inch above her kneecaps. She also wore a simple sleeveless dress with lace endings for extra warmth and plain black winter stockings underneath. Her ankle-high brown boots were made especially to combat snow so she could play in the courtyard with her brother later. Her light blue cloak with white fur was on the back of her seat. Other than the cloak which had the same hue as her father’s own cloak, her clothes were obviously one of the many gifts the king and queen had sent. It was warm and protected her from the cold but it wasn’t the normal style one would wear in the northmost territories of the kingdom. It was actually more similar to the style one would wear in the capital.

“I’m ready to begin, your majesty.” The doctor announced as he looked at the king. 

The king nodded as he ordered, “Please proceed, Doctor.”

“Yes, sire.” The elderly man bowed at the king before turning to look at her. His smile was soft and warm as he explained gently, “Hello, Lady Byleth. My name is Doctor Abraham. You can call me Doctor if you’d like.”

“Doctor.” She repeated and the older man nodded at her. 

“Now, as your father explained, I’m just going to make sure you’re okay.” The doctor held a crystal and showed it to her, “This is a light crystal. By using Reason magic, I can light this up.”

To demonstrate, the doctor focused on the crystal. A magic circle appeared above his palm. The crystal absorbed the magic circle and began to glow. Byleth’s eyes widened and she turned to look at her father who smiled at her and nodded. She returned her attention to the crystal and listened as the doctor said, “Now, I’d like you to follow the crystal without turning your head. Ready?”

“Okay.” She nodded and dutifully followed the light as the doctor moved it up then down then left then right. He would pause for a while before changing direction to write on a book that was on the table next to him.

After the crystal, the doctor explained each other strange items he took out before he would use them, asking Byleth if it was okay to continue after each test. When he was done using the object to check her heart, he looked at the king and shook his head, making the king furrowed his brows but the king nodded after a few seconds. After that silent exchange, the doctor continued.

When the doctor reached for a flat circular object as big as his palm, both her father and the king straightened. She felt her father’s hand on her shoulder tightened and she felt him pull her towards him slightly.

“Now, this is the last one, Lady Byleth.” The doctor gently informed her, “We’ll prick your finger with this needle.”

He showed her a small needle then pricked his own index finger, “Like this.”

The doctor pressed the skin next to the pierced area and let the blood pool for a second before placing his index finger over the flat circular object, “Then you just have to place your finger above this Crest Mirror until your blood drops.”

Once a drop of his blood hits the object, he dropped his hand and showed the object to her. The flat surface of the object shone like prism and the blood at the center disappeared. 

“Did you see that?” The doctor asked before he explained, “This shows if you have a Crest. If you have a crest, your blood will show it.”

She tilted her head as she asked, “You don’t have one?”

“No, Lady Byleth. I’m just an ordinary doctor.” The doctor replied with a soft smile. 

“Wen has one.” She said, smiling at him, “It’s pretty.”

“Yes, I’m sure the Fraldarius crest is quite pretty, milady.” The doctor agreed, smiling at her. 

“Perhaps it would be better if Byleth sees what happens if it does show a crest?” The king suggested, already right next to the doctor and taking the needle he had used.

The doctor smacked the king’s hand as he scolded, “Do not use that, Your Majesty. That’s already been used.”

The king dropped the needle and smiled at the doctor sheepishly, “Forgive me, Abraham. I may have been a bit too enthused.” 

The doctor rolled his eyes and took out another needle from a small cylindrical case. He handed it to his liege as he instructed sternly, “Now, only one prick, sire.” 

Lambert smiled as he took the needle from the older man. The doctor turned towards her and sighed dramatically before he explained, “I have been our king’s doctor since he was a babe. He’s always been a handful, touching things he shouldn’t touch.”

The king chuckled lightly at the memory as he pricked his index finger, “Ah, yes. And each time, I would receive an ear full from our dear doctor.”

He held his index finger towards the Crest Mirror in the doctor’s hand. A drop of blood hit the mirror right at the center and the doctor showed it to Byleth.

She watched as the mirror shone like prism once more. This time, the blood writhed, slowly spreading distinctly. It stopped spreading to show some kind of symbol.

“Star?” She asked, turning her attention towards the doctor.

“It does look like a bursting star, doesn’t it?” the doctor asked with a soft smile. He let her hold the mirror as he explained, “This is our king’s crest, the Crest of Blaiddyd.”

“Blaiddyd.” She repeated before turning towards the king. She smiled as she said, “King Lamb is a star.”

The king’s entire face brightened and he sat on Byleth’s other side. He ruffled her hair, making Rodrigue frown at his daughter’s now unruly hair, as he agreed, “That’s right. I have a star. It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

“Uh-huh.” Byleth nodded, enjoying the warmth of the king’s hand on her head. The doctor gently took the mirror from her hands and she looked back at him.

He had taken a new needle and asked, “Now, would it be alright if I prick your finger?”

“Okay.” She agreed with a nod, presenting her right hand to the kind man. The doctor gently held her index finger and prick it once. He guided her hand to hover above the mirror and they waited until a drop of blood hit the mirror. Once the drop hit the mirror, he let her hand go. All of them watched as the mirror shone like prism before the blood writhed and slowly spread on the mirror to form a symbol.

She heard the king’s breath hitched and turned to look at him. He was staring at the mirror with a shocked expression on his face. The doctor’s hand shook and he turned to stare at his liege with wide eyes.

“Lambert? Doctor? Do you know what crest that is?” Her father asked as he held her tightly in his arms. 

The king stood and started to pace around the room. He turned towards the doctor and asked, “How accurate is that mirror?”

“This mirror has been used by House Blaiddyd since the reign of the ancient Wolf Kings. It has never made a mistake.” The doctor replied, staring at the symbol on the mirror.

The king turned towards his friend and explained, “That… that is the Crest of Flames, Rodrigue.”

Her father’s hand gripped on her shoulder tightened as he hissed, “There has to be a mistake. The Crest of Flames… That is Nemesis’ crest.”

“Again, Doctor.” The king ordered.

“Yes, sire.” The doctor nodded and turned towards her, “Could you please drop another blood in the mirror, my dear?”

“Okay.” She held out her index finger again but no blood dropped at all. 

“Pardon me.” The doctor mumbled as he grasped her hand gently. His brows furrowed as he mumbled, “It’s healed.”

Both the king and her father’s eyes widened.

“That’s not possible.” The king showed his pricked index finger as he said, “Even if it’s a small wound, it shouldn’t have healed that fast. Mine hasn’t yet.”

“It’s her crest.” Her father realized.

“I will have to prick your hand once more, Lady Byleth.” The doctor informed her as he took a new needle from the cylindrical case, “Will that be alright?”

“Okay.” She replied with a nod and watched the doctor prick her index finger once more. They all watched as her blood dripped onto the mirror.

Once more, her blood formed the Crest of Flames.

“My goddess…” The doctor mumbled, still astonished even if it was the second time he had seen it.

“Curses.” The king hissed, pacing once more.

She turned towards her father and asked, “Is By’s crest bad?”

“No.” Her father immediately replied, kissing his daughter’s forehead before he gently explained, “It’s not bad. It’s just…”

“It complicates things.” The king replied, rubbing his forehead. He turned towards the doctor and ordered, “This does not leave this room, Abraham. Any of these.”

“Yes, my liege.” The doctor bowed respectfully at the king.

“We need a way to hide her crest. If the church finds out she bears the Crest of Flames…” Lambert paused, blinking for a moment as he realized, “She activated her crest right in front of us but none of us saw it.”

“Her clothes may have hidden the glow.” Her father suggested.

“We need to be sure of its placement.” The king said before asking the doctor, “Did you bring the crystal that forces the crest to glow?”

“Yes, sire.” The doctor replied, grabbing his satchel. He took out a teardrop-shaped light green crystal. He handed the crystal to her as he explained, “This crystal makes your crest glow. It won’t activate it or anything so don’t worry. As long as you hold this crystal, your crest would just keep glowing.”

She turned to look at his father and saw him nod solemnly at her. She turned and stared at the crystal as she took it from the doctor. It was warm in her hands. 

They all stared at her, waiting for the distinct crest glow. 

After a minute passed, nothing.

“Byleth, could you please stand and turn around slowly for us?” Her father asked and she jumped out of her seat. She turned around slowly as asked, her skirt fluttering slightly at her movement.

“This is… strange.” The king mumbled.

“I suppose her clothes are covering her crest.” The doctor suggested before adding, “And it may be a minor crest. Minor crests have a weaker glow than a major crest.”

“Very well.” The king walked towards the door and opened it. He called out, “Korre, come inside.”

She saw her nanny just outside the door. When her nanny saw her staring at her, she gave a soft smile and waved. She waved back while one of the King’s Lionguard entered the infirmary and the king whispered something to his Lionguard.

The Lionguard nodded and stepped to the side while Lambert turned towards the two men, “Korre will check for us. Let’s go to your office, Rodrigue. She’ll escort Byleth there once they are done.”

The doctor was already putting all the objects he used back to his satchel while the king was talking. The duke nodded at his friend before he kissed the top of his daughter’s head and whispered to her, “This is our secret, okay?”

“Okay.” Byleth nodded immediately. She was used to keeping a lot of things a secret for her father so she didn’t question it. She watched the three men walk out of the room. Lambert stared at her for a moment with a blank expression before closing the door behind him.

Once all of them were gone, the Lionguard walked towards her and knelt in front of her. Byleth watched as the Lionguard took off the lion helmet, placing it on the floor next to the armored knight. 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Byleth. My name is Korre.” A woman with dark brown hair and dark grey eyes introduced herself as she bowed her head. Her dark brown hair was short, ending by her chin but there was a section of her hair that was longer than the others, braided and wrapped around her head like a hairband. 

“Hello.” Byleth greeted back. 

“I hear that our king could not find your crest?” The Lionguard named Korre asked as she took off the distinct Blaiddyd cape and folded it before placing it on the floor next to her helmet.

Byleth nodded silently, watching the older woman as she took off her chest plate and placed it on the floor as well as she said, “That’s quite normal. Some crest cannot be seen because our clothes hide them.”

She offered her hand towards Byleth, her palm up, as she asked, “May I?”

Byleth handed her the warm crystal and the Lionguard closed her hand. Byleth watched as Korre lifted her shirt until it was just above her chest. A symbol glowed between her breast and it reminded Byleth of a ram’s head. The older woman placed the crystal on top of her folded cape and Byleth watched the symbol slowly fade away while listening to her, “As you can see, my crest is hidden by my clothes like yours.”

She continued to kneel as she explained, “So for us to know where your crest glows, you would need to take off your clothes. Can you do that?”

“Nanny helps.” Byleth informed her.

“That’s okay. I’ll help you in her place. Will that be alright?” The Lionguard asked gently. Byleth nodded and the older woman bowed as she said, “Thank you, Lady Byleth.”

With the Lionguard’s help, Byleth was able to take off her clothes without any problem. They had to take off her Chrysanthemum hairpins as well. Once Byleth was no longer wearing any clothes, Korre handed her the crystal. The crystal warmed in her hands and Korre asked her to turn. The older woman’s eyebrows furrowed once Byleth was done and she asked the child to sit down. While she was sitting, Korre inspected her, checking her feet, the back of her ears and any other parts of her body where the crest may be hidden. The crest glow adjusts its size to the bearer’s body so Korre checked even the skin between her fingers in the off-chance it was simply small. She even combed through her hair on the off-chance her hair was hiding it. 

Once she was done inspecting Byleth’s body, she helped the girl dress once more. After she was completely dressed which now included her blue cloak, Korre equipped her chest armor and cape once more. She grabbed the helmet but did not put it on yet. Instead, she knelt in front of Byleth and said, “I will escort you to his majesty and the duke. Please do not say anything about what we have done to anyone.”

“Okay.” The young girl nodded and Korre slightly frowned when she noticed that one of the little lady’s Chrysanthemum hairpins was slightly higher than the other. 

But Korre wasn’t really used to such hairpins so she let it be and simply said, “Thank you, Lady Byleth.”

Byleth watched as Korre put on her lion helmet before getting up. Silently, she offered her hand towards the little girl who took it. Together, they walked out of the room. Outside, another Lionguard was standing by the door while her nanny was leaning on the wall in front of the door. When she saw her little lady, she was immediately by her side but looked too afraid to talk to the Lionguard holding her little lady’s hand. 

Korre led Byleth to the duke’s private office with her fellow Lionguard walking on the little girl’s other side. Her nanny followed them from behind, her hands clasped together as she silently worried over why her little lady was being escorted by two of the king’s personal guards. 

The castle servants that they passed by couldn’t help but watch them, seeing their duke’s daughter holding hands with one of the most elite knights in the kingdom. 

Duke Fraldarius’ private office was on the east wing of the castle, opposite of the infirmary which was on the west wing. A lot of the private rooms the ruling family used were on the east wing so the nearer they got to the east wing, the more servants saw them.

Her nanny was now worried about what strange gossip this entire walk would be spun.

This… This will definitely have the castle servants and knights talking. 

They finally reached the door leading to the duke’s office. Two of the king’s Lionguards were standing on each side of the door and one of them opened it. Her little lady and the Lionguard holding her hand entered while the third Lionguard took a position on the wall in front of the door. She watched the Lionguard close the door and leaned on the wall next to the third Lionguard, praying to the Goddess that everything would be alright. 

Inside the office, Korre released Byleth’s hand and she walked towards her father. She stopped when she saw that her mother was next to her father. Their eyes met while the duke took her in his arms and lifted her, letting her rest on his forearm. The duchess turned away from them and focused her attention to the Lionguard standing in the middle of the room. 

The Lionguard waited for her king to acknowledge her. When she received her king’s nod, she stated, “I could not find any crest glow.”

The duke’s hold on his daughter tightened while the king stared at his knight with a pensive expression, “You’re sure? You’ve checked everywhere?”

“Yes, my liege.” The Lionguard replied.

“How could this be possible?” The king mumbled, walking towards the fireplace, "There has never been a crest that does not glow." 

“It might have something to do with her… origin, sire.” The doctor suggested, watching his king as he suggested, “Perhaps if we have a crest scholar take a look at her-”

“No.” The king immediately denied, “We do not know any crest scholar loyal to the royal family. We cannot risk her life over this.”

“Of course, sire.” The doctor nodded.

“So what do we do now, Lambert?” Her father asked.

The king turned to his closest friend and saw Byleth resting her cheek against the duke’s shoulder as she stared at him. His eyes shone with determination as he said, “We do what we must to protect her.”

The king walked towards the little girl in the duke’s arm. He gently took her left hand and said gently, “I’m sorry, Byleth. I’m afraid that your life may become much more complicated now but know this, no matter what happens…”

The king’s eyes hardened as he proclaimed, “House Blaiddyd will protect you.” 

At the end of Wyvern Moon of the year 1161, Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius was proclaimed crestless. 

**Red Wolf Moon, 1161 - Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

News of his daughter’s crestless status swept the entire kingdom like wildfire. It was the talk of the kingdom nobles for a month now. The rumors of a strange sickness that has taken the lives of a few people in the southern kingdom territories was now old news, taken over by the news of the crestless Fraldarius daughter. 

He expected as much. Considering everyone in the kingdom knew how the king and queen adored his daughter, many already believed that she was going to be betrothed to the royal family’s future son. Her marriage to the royal family would be a great reward for the loyalty of House Fraldarius. 

Now that she had been proclaimed crestless, the kingdom nobles were at the edge of their seat over what will happen to the Fraldarius girl. 

He had received a lot of condolence letters from various nobles, many of which end with a proposal to betroth her daughter with either one of their non-heir sons or their own crestless son who they haven’t disowned yet, either trying to get close to House Fraldarius or to House Blaiddyd itself through his daughter. He replied to all of these letters with a lot of respectful words that really just means ‘Thank you. I’ll think about it.’ and placed all those letters in one box. He was never going to betroth his daughter to any of them but he might need the names of those noble families currying favor from his or his majesty’s house as they might be useful later on.

One of them was even Ruger who had written a very ‘eloquent’ letter and proposed that she be betrothed to his crestless firstborn son, Miklan. 

That one he sent a letter with one word: ‘No’ as a reply and threw his friend's letter into the fire. He was sure that the margrave found his one-word rejection letter funny as he sent a crate of Gautier cheese as a reply. And a goat. He wasn’t sure what the goat was supposed to mean but he was sure it had been meant as either a joke or an insult at his expense. Glenn and Byleth seemed to like the goat so they kept it. 

Count Leonardo Cael Gellum, a member of his majesty’s court who was loyal to the royal family, did not say anything about his daughter’s crestless status and had instead offered to provide lodging and support if the duke ever decided to send her to Fhirdiad to learn in the School of Sorcery. Rodrigue wasn’t sure if the count was actually being nice to him or if he was looking after the royal family’s interest and suggested to him to make his daughter a mage to compensate for her lack of crest. The count’s polite words could either be interpreted as the count trying to hint that his daughter could still serve the royal family as a mage or he was trying to be nice and saying that, if his daughter becomes a powerful mage, the court may agree to her being betrothed to the king’s future son. His dealings with Count Gellum could be counted on one hand so that one he had sent a letter to thank him and to say that he shall think about it once his daughter was older. 

Much older… 

He had also copied the letter and sent it to Lambert. The king knew Count Gellum more so he would have an idea of what the count would be really after. His majesty seemed to like the count but liking someone and trusting someone were two different things for nobles such as them, especially to one who is also the ruler of a nation.

He had even received a letter from his own brother. Luciano had written that he would be willing to take Byleth in until things finally calmed down. It was a nice gesture but Rodrigue had been surprised by it… until he remembered that Luciano would have a personal investment over her crestless status as he was also a crestless Fraldarius. To that, he had written that he was grateful for the offer but he would like to have his daughter with him and his family. He stressed he wasn’t like their father and had also asked if Luciano would like to personally meet his children and his wife.

A part of him felt a sense of gratitude over his daughter’s crestless status. It was a lie created to protect her from the church, yes, but if this lie could help heal his relationship with his younger brother then he would gladly take it. 

The strangest letter he had received came from no one other than Rufus Faust Blaiddyd himself. He and Rufus weren’t close. To be completely honest, Rodrigue was pretty sure Rufus’ hunting dog Maximilian was the older Blaiddyd’s only close companion. He always had a different woman in his arms every month. Sometimes, every week…

The content of it was… surprising to say the least. 

He had started the letter with a threat. Rufus had written a very descriptive way to torture him if he ever hears that the duke had disowned his daughter.

That was, Rodrigue supposed, sweet in its own violent way. The older man had made it clear to his younger brother and the king’s closest allies how he felt about the kingdom nobles disowning their children for being crestless. His pain had been one of the reasons why Lambert was trying to find a way to change how the crestless nobles were being treated. 

The next part was Rufus asking if it was really his daughter or if he was covering for his younger brother.

The duke was so offended for his liege’s sake that he almost took the Sword of Moralta and ordered a horse to be prepared for a trip to Itha so he could personally cut down the older Blaiddyd. 

Fortunately, he managed to rein his temper in and continued to read.

It seemed the Grand Duke of Itha had created the letter to purposely get the Duke of Fraldarius to attack him.

The final part of his letter was ‘suggestions’, if they could even be called that, of how he and Lambert could proceed on including his daughter to the royal family (“I’m sure Lambert would stop at nothing to be able to call your daughter his daughter too.”) which includes (but not limited to) having his daughter be the future king’s mistress (this caused Rodrigue to grip the letter tightly and the temptation to actually behead his friend’s brother was truly becoming stronger than he can take) or to marry her to the spare instead.

The second one did have some merit. The court wouldn’t be too heavily invested over the spare and-

Rodrigue had to stop his musing at that.

Dear Goddess, was he actually thinking about this?

The duke groaned and threw the letter into the fire. 

That one he never bothered to send a reply to. 

**Red Wolf Moon, 1161 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

The Founding Day of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus was a day full of celebration and festivities with certain territories in the kingdom celebrating it differently. In Fhirdiad, her nanny told her that she had heard that the royal family personally opened the gates of Castle Blaiddyd during the evening festivities and everyone could celebrate in the large courtyard, dancing, and drinking till the sun rises. Territories near the Western Church such as Rowe and Gaspard would spend half the day in their local churches and chapels, listening to the word of the Goddess and singing hymns of praise and gratitude to the Goddess. A lot of the nearby noble families would travel to the Western Church or even Garreg Mach to pray to the Goddess and thank the church.

Byleth wasn’t sure of most of what her nanny was saying but she liked listening to her nanny. She always tell her the best stories and she had a nice voice.

Her favorite was the stories of the great wolf queen who battled armies to defend her homeland.

Her nanny told that, during last year’s celebrations, she and her family visited the chapel in the lower castle of Castle Fraldarius and they had participated in the first mass of the day. She rarely visited the lower castle as that was where the commoners in Castle Fraldarius lived and she was still too young to be escorted there frequently. After the mass, they had returned to the castle and her nanny had walked her all over the castle, letting her see the many vibrant decorations the servants had put up for the special day and secretly taking treats from the unexpecting cooks until it was time for the annual Blaiddtarian Tournament.

The Blaiddtarian Tournament was the most well-known event in Fraldarius territory during the Founding Day. Men and women, nobles and commoners alike, from all over the kingdom would arrive in Fraldarius a week or so early so they can participate in one of the tournament’s three categories: Lafn, Gwialen, and Goron. People from Charon and Gautier, in particular, would rather spend the day in Fraldarius than their own territory to watch or participate in the tournament. The winners of all three categories would receive a gold reward and, if they impressed the duke, would be offered to serve House Fraldarius as a soldier. Lots of knights in the service of House Fraldarius were commoners who had won the tournament and rose from the lowly ranks of foot soldiers to knighthood. 

Byleth didn’t really remember much from last year’s tournament, only that it was loud and Glenn had cheered a lot. 

After the tournament, the rest of the day was spent celebrating in the tournament arena itself. The arena turned into a stage for dancing and House Fraldarius provided both food and drinks. 

Lots of drinks as per Faerghus tradition.

But, for today, her nanny had dressed her in three different layers to ensure she would remain warm. The first layer was a white long-sleeved turtleneck shirt and black winter trousers. Her second layer was a light blue long-sleeved silk dress with white ice flower designs at the hem. The third layer was a dark blue long-sleeved wool coat with a cape that ends by her elbows and white fur on the collar and hem. Her nanny also put comfy wool socks on her before she made her wear the brown ankle boots she always wore when she was going to play outside on the snow with Glenn. Her ears were covered by a pair of blue earmuffs with white fur, her hands covered by brown wool gloves and a light blue cloak the same color as her father’s with white fur was placed over her shoulders. 

Once she was properly dressed, her nanny walked her towards the stable where her father and brother were already waiting, both wearing enough layers to protect from the Fraldarius winter. 

“By!” Glenn greeted, running towards her. He grabbed her other hand and the three of them walked to their father.

The duke smiled at his children as he greeted, “Good morning, Byleth.”

“G’mornin, father.” Byleth tried to greet back as she stared at her father. 

He nodded at her before turning towards her nanny and ordered, “You’ll ride with Glenn today.”

“Um, yes, milord.” Her nanny bowed as she replied. 

The older man offered his hand towards the little girl and her nanny let her hand go. She walked towards her father and he lifted her up, sitting her on his horse. Once she was sure she wouldn’t fall, he got on the horse as well. He waited until the rest of their company got on their horses before they left the stables, their horses walking normally.

Two Fraldarius knights rode in front and people parted for them. Duke Fraldarius and his daughter rode behind the two knights with Glenn and her nanny riding on a brown horse next to them. Two more Fraldarius knights rode behind them. Seeing the duke and his children, some of the people threw flowers at them. One flower hit Glenn’s chest and dropped to his lap. The flower had six tepals with pink spots and six curving stamens. Glenn grinned and grabbed it. He leaned towards his little sister and offered the flower as he called out, “By! Here!”

She took the white flower from her brother and showed it to her father who smiled at her. The duke took the flower from his daughter’s hand and tucked it behind her ear as he said, “It suits you, Byleth.”

She gave him a grin that made his smile bigger. 

Their company passed the gates of Castle Fraldarius and the guards stationed by the gates bowed at them. Once they were in the open plains that surrounded the castle, Rodrigue guided her hands to grip the reins as well as he said, “We’re going to go faster so hold tight. Okay, my dear?”

“Okay.” Byleth nodded and Rodrigue clicked his tongue. As the sight of their lord’s horse galloping, the rest of their company ordered their horse to gallop as well, matching the speed of the duke’s horse.

The cold wind kissed Byleth’s face as the horse’s movements made her bounce slightly, making her hair and clothes flutter behind her. Surprisingly, the flower was able to stay tucked behind her ear. She was used to the cold by now, having grown up around it, but the cold wind felt different today. They journeyed to a nearby forest, an entire forest clad in white snow. They stopped at the edge of the forest and Rodrigue got off his horse first before lifting his daughter off the horse. Once she was on the snow-covered ground, Glenn was already running towards her. Both of their faces were red from the cold wind and they grabbed each other’s hands. Even though her and her brother’s hands were protected by gloves, she could still feel her brother’s warm hand against hers. 

Their father took her other hand and guided the two of them inside the forest. She looked back and saw that only one knight was following them. The other three knights were taking care of the horses, giving them water that they had packed and tying their reins to a sturdy tree by the entrance. Her nanny looked worried but smiled and waved when she saw that her little lady was staring back at her.

“This is the Forest of Silence.” Her father’s voice made her turn to look at him. Both children listened attentively as the duke continued, “They say that the hero Fraldarius met her pegasus in this very forest when she was on her way to meet with Blaiddyd and Gautier.”

“She was a pegasus knight?!” Glenn asked with wide eyes.

“No.” The duke replied gently and pointed at the log in front of them, “Watch your step.”

Glenn gingerly climbed the log while Rodrigue lifted Byleth as he crossed it, putting her gently down next to Glenn, “The hero Fraldarius was a Falcon Knight. They say her lance could pierce the sky itself.”

She held hands with both her father and her brother as they continued to walk further into the forest, “With the Aegis shield on one hand and a lance on the other, she dominated the sky.”

Her father finally stopped in front of a forest clearing. The clearing was filled with winter flowers, a sea of blue and purple, void of any snow. Glenn’s eyes widened and his lips curved into an open smile at the sight. Byleth looked at the flowers, watching them flutter lightly against the small breeze that escaped the wall of trees surrounding the clearing.

His father stared at them as he explained, “This is called the Lovers’ Rest. This is supposed to be the spot where the hero Fraldarius met her pegasus. This is also the spot where she buried her pegasus as well. And the day the first snow falls in Fraldarius, they say this is also where she prays to the Goddess, asking for her people’s safety and good health from the upcoming winter.”

“When you are older, this will be the spot where I shall give you a gift once you have proven yourself worthy in carrying her legacy.” Rodrigue explained, letting go of her hand. She turned to face her father who smiled at her and patted her head, “But that’s still far off into the future. For now, go on and play.”

“Can we?” Glenn asked enthusiastically. 

“Yes. We’ll stay here until it is time to leave for the tournament.” Rodrigue replied, making Glenn cheer.

Her brother pulled her towards the flowers as he said, “Come on, By!”

Byleth watched her father sit on a rock near the clearing while the knight accompanying them stand behind him as Glenn dragged her into the middle of the sea of flowers. She finally turned to face her brother when he grabbed both of her hands. He began to spin her around, giggling as the petals of the flowers around them flew to the sky, raining down on them like soft rain. 

Her brother’s giggle was infectious and, soon, Byleth was giggling as well as they ran all around the clearing. Some of the flowers were tall enough that they could hide if they crouched so they started to chase each other, hiding in the tall flowers and trying to make each other jump. The entire time, Byleth continued to pick flowers she thought looked pretty, holding them tightly with both of her hands. 

They played until their father called out to them to tell them it was time to leave. Because she was holding the flowers with both of her hands, her father carried her in his arms, letting her sit on his forearm while he held Glenn’s hand with his other hand.

The journey out of the forest and back to Castle Fraldarius was a quiet event and the horses walked instead so that the flowers in her hand wouldn’t be damaged. Once they have returned to Castle Fraldarius, it was already time for lunch. The duchess was already waiting for them in the dining room. When she saw her mother, Byleth ran towards her. Ainara was mildly surprised by the sight of the girl running towards her. She stopped next to her chair and presented the flowers to her as she said, “For you, mother.”

The duchess’ eyes widened at those words but did not attempt to take the flowers from her hands. Byleth tilted her head as she asked, her hands lowering and her grip on the flowers slowly lessened, “No?”

Ainara caught her hands before she could drop the flowers to the floor. Both of them seemed surprised by the duchess’ actions. The older woman cleared her throat before she said in a soft voice, “Tha-thank you… Byleth.”

Byleth’s face brightened into a smile and she replied, “You’re welcome, mother!”

The duchess’ lips wobbled into a small smile for a few seconds before it disappeared as she looked down at the flowers. The little girl let go of the flowers and the duchess turned towards one of her handmaidens… who was staring at them with a surprised expression on her face.

Actually, almost everyone was staring at them with varying degrees of surprise.

Everyone knew how distant the duchess was to the little girl. No one has actually seen her touch the girl before this. 

“Rowena.” The duchess called out, making the handmaiden straightened her back.

“Yes, milady?” The handmaiden said, briskly walking towards her mistress.

“Please put this in a vase and place it inside my room.” The duchess ordered, holding the flowers towards her handmaiden, “By the window so it may take sunlight, if you could.”

“Of course, milady!” The young woman quickly nodded, taking the flowers from her mistress’ hands. She noticed that her mistress avoided her hands, something that everyone in the castle knew. The duchess did not like to be touched or to touch anyone. The only time she let herself be touched was when her handmaidens helped her dress and the only people she would usually touch were the duke and their son.

Which made her touching her daughter’s hands all the more surprising.

When the handmaiden left the dining room, everyone finally got over the surprising event and began to move once more. As the ruling family of House Fraldarius ate their lunch together, the entire castle began to hear about what will be known as the Winter Flowers incident.

As per tradition, Duke Fraldarius’ entire family watched the Blaiddtarian Tournament. Glenn cheered for everyone and Byleth was allowed to take her favorite stuffed lion with her to keep her entertained. She made the lion sit next to her and even had her nanny put her dark blue coat over it so it won’t get cold.

The Lafn champion was from Fraldarius, to no one’s surprise, but he almost lost to a lesser noble from Charon who was disqualified because he had resorted to brawling when he lost his sword. The Gwialen champion was a professor from the School of Sorcery and the audience was in awe of the way he was able to cast different Reason magic in succession. A true feat of one who has mastered Reason magic. 

The finalists of the Goron category were a Holy Knight from Gaspard and a long dark-haired woman with piercing green eyes. The Holy Knight was clad in his full knight armor while the young woman wore the school uniform of the School of Sorcery. Unlike Lafn which only allowed blades and Gwialen which only allowed magic, there were no such restrictions for Goron. As such, the Holy Knight rode into the arena with his trusty horse. The knight tried to take down his opponent by casting Aura. As the ground below her glowed, she rushed her opponent, barely dodging the pillar of light. The knight raised his hand towards her, a white magic circle appearing above his palm as he readied Nosferatu. A few seconds before he could complete his casting, she planted her feet to the ground and pointed at the Holy Knight with her index and middle finger. A magic circle appeared above her fingers before turning into a ball of lightning. From the ball of lightning, a blast of lightning erupted, causing the Holy Knight to abandon his casting and pull his horse’s reins, making the horse take a few steps to the right. Just as the horse took another step, she knelt as she placed her hand on the ground. The horse neighed and trashed as its legs were covered in ice. As the horse thrashed around, the Holy Knight jumped off his horse, barely dodging another blast of lightning from his opponent. He gripped his lance with both hands and charged towards his opponent. Just as the tip of his lance reached her head, a column of ice sprung from the ground, causing him to stagger as his lance accidentally struck the ice column. Before he could recover, she rushed from the right side of the ice column, drawing her short sword. He reacted on instinct, turning to swipe her legs but she lunged at him, falling on him as her short sword nicked the unprotected part of his gauntlet. They fell on the ground as the referee shouted, “Blood!”

The crowd cheered as both combatants got up. They both bowed at each other before bowing at the duke while the referee announced, “This year’s Goron champion is Katherine Hohenheim of Fhirdiad!”

The crowd’s cheers grew louder and some began to throw flowers at the arena. The Goron champion raised her head and gave a triumphant smile at the crowd. 

With the crowd’s cheering, servants of House Fraldarius began to bring food and drinks. 

And the celebrations of the Founding Day in Castle Fraldarius began to start in earnest.

**Ethereal Moon, 1161 - Hunydd Powe, Castle Fraldarius**

The rumors of a plague in Southern Faerghus turned out to be true. People and goods coming from the southern part of the kingdom were being heavily monitored. The only way to enter or exit from the south was through Arianrhod. The empire had closed off its borders to Faerghus as well. Garreg Mach still accepted people coming from Faerghus but they were being heavily monitored as well, being placed in a chapel outside of Garreg Mach for a few days before they were allowed to enter the monastery. Even the Leicester Alliance was heavily monitoring any merchants or travelers coming from Faerghus.

But that didn’t seem to matter in Northern Faerghus, most especially in Castle Fraldarius. A few months have passed since the announcement of her little lady’s crestless status. With no news of any betrothment or even just a whisper of disownment, the northern kingdom nobles and those in the service of Castle Fraldarius definitely have various speculations on the little lady’s future. 

And her origin…

Hunydd tried not to listen to them. She especially tried to keep her charge from hearing them as well.

But it was quite hard when some of the servants (and knights!) were whispering very loudly or didn’t seem to care all that much that they could be heard by any passers-by.

She had heard so many wild speculations that she wanted to throw the chamber pot at every single servant and knight in the castle. 

Some speculated that the little lady wasn’t the duchess’ daughter at all, that she was the duke’s bastard child. That would explain the duchess’ coldness to her. Others speculated that she wasn’t the child of the duchess or the duke and she was actually an illegitimate Blaiddyd child. Everyone knew about the duke’s unquestionable loyalty to the king so he would definitely take a Blaiddyd child. Perhaps she was the Grand Duke’s child? That man was a well-known womanizer. It wouldn’t be surprising if he had a bastard child or ten! Or, more scandalously, she could be the king’s bastard child! That would explain why the king loved to dote on her and the many gifts she received from the king.

They didn’t seem to care that the queen was also doting on her and almost half of the gifts were from the queen, not the king. Those that did care would speculate that perhaps the queen didn’t know or she did know and she was pretending to like her husband’s bastard child. 

Why, some were even speculating that she may have been another one of the Adrestian emperor’s children! Perhaps she was given to the kingdom as some kind of political hostage! 

Those that weren’t speculating about her origin speculated about her future. There were rumors that she was going to be betrothed to either Margrave Gautier’s crestless firstborn or perhaps to one of Countess Galatea’s sons. Maybe the duke wasn’t betrothing her for now because he and the king were planning to betroth her to the king’s second son or to a crestless son he may have in the future. Those that enjoyed the idea that she was actually an Imperial princess also speculated that perhaps she would be betrothed to the next king as a way to forge an alliance between the kingdom and empire.

But the castle’s favorite speculation was that she was going to be the future king’s mistress. It wasn’t uncommon for nobles to marry politically then have a mistress (or a male companion) on the side. It would still be a great boon to House Fraldarius if the little lady became a mistress according to some of the knights as a lot of mistresses (and male companions) were of higher standing to their partner than the official spouse. One of the Adrestian Emperor once made his mistress the empress after his official wife died. Perhaps the same thing can happen to the little lady?

Oh, just remembering it made her blood boil. 

These were all baseless speculations. Simply because the little lady had no crest and the duke was keeping mum about it didn’t mean there was a deep meaning to it.

Right?

The answer to her silent question came on the morning of the 29th of the Ethereal Moon. Someone knocked on the door and, when she opened it, this year’s Goron champion was standing behind the duke. The duke bid her a good morning which she hastily returned, bowing at the duke and stepping aside so they can enter. She closed the door once the duke and the champion had entered.

The little lady was playing with blocks, using it to surround her favorite stuffed lion like it was a castle wall. When she saw her father, she put down the block she was holding and stood, grabbing her stuffed lion before walking towards him. The duke knelt in front of her and said, “Byleth, I would like you to meet someone.”

“Who?” The little girl asked and the duke nodded at the woman behind him.

The dark-haired woman knelt next to the duke and greeted her with a professional tone, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Byleth. My name is Katherine Hohenheim. As of this day, I will be your governess.” 

“What’s a governess?” The little lady tilted her head as she asked. 

Katherine’s lips curved into a smirk as she explained, “It means I will teach you everything you need to know to be better than any of those crest-bearing fools.”

Hunydd almost had a heart attack, turning to look at the duke and fearing that the woman’s words had offended him.

It had not.

Instead, the duke was nodding at Katherine’s words with a solemn look on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to [scarytoothfairy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarytoothfairy/pseuds/scarytoothfairy) for guessing some of the 'speculations' of the other people concerning Byleth's origin XD
> 
> Please tell me if I messed up the Welsh words I have used in this chapter. I only know three languages and Welsh is not one of them. These are all from Google Translate:  
Blaiddtarian - Wolf Shield /Shield of the Wolf  
Lafn, Gwialen, and Goron - Blade, Staff, and Crown
> 
> Names of Characters Appearing/Being Mentioned In This Chapter (Which May Become Important or Not):  
Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius (birth name Byleth Eisner), daughter of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Duke of Fraldarius  
Ainara Violette Fraldarius (nee Mateus), Duchess of Fraldarius  
Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, firstborn son of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus  
Sigrun Emilia Galatea, Countess of Galatea  
Joachim Byron Galatea (nee Rolando), Count of Galatea  
Alfin Svend Galatea, firstborn son of Galatea  
Judah Mundi Galatea, second son of Galatea  
Luciano Hektor Fraldarius, younger brother of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Ruger Juan Gautier, Margrave of Gautier  
Rufus Faust Blaiddyd, Grand Duke of Itha  
Abraham Gauis, Court Doctor to the Royal Family  
Hunydd Powe, Fraldarius servant, wet nurse and nanny to Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius  
Katherine Hohenheim, Byleth Fraldarius' personal governess
> 
> Crest Mirror  
So Hanneman’s crest apparatus wasn’t able to see the entirety of Byleth’s crest in the beginning. While it may be more modern than the one used by House Blaiddyd, Hanneman’s crest apparatus does more than check what the crest is and has that fancy hologram-like result by analyzing the blood. The hologram thing is a new development and still has some kinks that need to be worked out (like the unintentional zooming-in function that was added for research purposes). On the other hand, the Crest Mirror forces the blood to show the crest of its owner and that’s all it does. It doesn’t analyze the blood like Hanneman’s apparatus at all. Its origin is also unknown. 
> 
> Crystals  
The light crystal is a common tool used in the School of Sorcery to help students focus when they are just starting. It is made from the same crystal a lot of magic wands used to amplify their user’s magical proficiency. The crest crystal, however, came from the Kingdom’s vaults together with the Crest Mirror. The crest crystal’s actual name is “Areadbhar’s Blood” but no one ever uses that name. The royal family believes that the hero Blaiddyd had taken these rare artifacts without Seiros or the Adrestian Emperor knowing. There are actually two Kingdom vaults in Fhirdiad: the official vault that the church knows about and can access if they send a request and a secret vault that only the royal family and their most loyal vassals and allies know about. (The crest stones Dedue took in the CF route came from the first vault, however, the church does not know about it and Dimitri never got an actual inventory of what was in both vaults during his time as king. It is highly possible someone else had placed it there without the church or the royal family knowing.)
> 
> Hero Fraldarius (spoilers for Golden Deer Route)  
So you fight the elite ten in Golden Deer route. Fraldarius is actually classed as a Falcon Knight in that stage so, in this fic, Fraldarius was a Falcon Knight which means she’s a woman. Funnily enough, Blaiddyd in that stage was a Dark Knight, not a Holy Knight.


	4. Late 1161 - 1162

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unknown plague continues to haunt Faerghus and Byleth’s education starts early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @kikuriehime on twitter drew [1161!Byleth](https://twitter.com/kikuriehime/status/1182753293426216960?s=09)! She's so adorable!!! Check it out and please give her all the love she deserves! 
> 
> UPDATE (10/22)  
So eisneRiegan has informed me that the new year in Fodlan happens in Great Tree Moon (month 4) so I updated the Guardian Moon here to last year. (that's pretty much it XD)
> 
> So I would usually add this in the ending notes but since this is going to come up a lot, here is the division of the Kingdom territories:
> 
> Southern Kingdom Territories: Rowe and Gaspard (also includes Western Church, Magdred Way, Lake Teutates and Rhodos Coast)  
Central Kingdom Territories: Mateus, Gideon, Charon, Galatea and Blaiddyd (also includes Conand Tower, Tailtean Plains, and Fhirdiad)  
Northern Kingdom Territories: Fraldarius, Itha and Gautier
> 
> Please note that these are the main territories. Each territory would have lands under certain noble houses. Fhirdiad is the capital city of Faerghus and is part of Blaiddyd territory. Most of the members of the royal court are noble houses living in Fhirdiad. Blaiddyd territory is scarcely called “Blaiddyd”, instead, it is mistakenly called “Fhirdiad” even if Fhirdiad is the capital city only, not the territory. No one bothers to correct anyone about this.

**Guardian Moon, 1161 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

Byleth’s governess was a strange woman. She always wore different long-sleeved black dresses that ends two inches above her ankles and a corset no matter the weather. She always wore a pair of black boots that are usually worn by soldiers and she always had black stockings and a pair of black gloves covering her skin. When they leave the warmth of the castle, she only wore a dark green cloak made of silk to protect her from the cold. 

She doesn’t expect Byleth to understand everything she says but she expects her to do her best and try. 

In the morning, she would teach her how to read and write.

“Normally, children from the kingdom learn how to wield a weapon first rather than read or write but you will learn this now.” She told Byleth when she first placed a book in front of her.

The progress was a bit slow but she didn’t seem to mind, taking the time to repeat the letter and to give as many examples as she thinks her charge needs before they go to the next letter. They repeated the same activity until Byleth could recognize each letter individually.

After that, she added the son of Byleth’s nanny to their activity. 

Elster Powe was a few months older than Byleth and he started to live with his mother in the castle this year as the duke’s reward for her nanny’s loyalty. Elster would usually help his mother and stay out of the way so he was a bit shy. He was also scared of Byleth’s governess and could only follow her instructions as she ordered him to sit next to the young noble. Byleth’s next activity was to teach the boy how to read the letters individually as the governess used this activity to help her charge master the letters and also let her have experience in teaching others. She only interrupted to remind things her charge may have forgotten or to give suggestions on how to teach the young boy.

Hunydd had been surprised the first time she saw her little lady teaching her son how to read but she didn’t say anything and simply watched. She and her little lady’s governess weren’t exactly friends but Hunydd understood that the dark-haired woman was truly trying to educate the little lady without any ill intent.

After their lesson on reading and writing, they would take a small break and Byleth would listen as her governess explained Faerghus history as she ate whatever snacks her nanny would bring from the kitchen. Elster joined her as well once she started to teach him how to read. Her governess would explain the kingdom’s history as some kind of children's stories to better captivate her charge’s attention and used pictures she procured from somewhere as an aid.

Byleth’s current favorite was her story about King Loog, the first king of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and how his moniker as the King of Lions was the basis of the kingdom having a Blue Lion as their class name in the officer’s academy. 

“However, as you can see, the kingdom’s coat of arms does not have a lion.” Her governess had shown them a picture of the kingdom’s coat of arms and the Blue Lion banner the officer’s academy as she explained, “The Kingdom’s coat of arms is a knight riding a griffon with the crest of the royal family below the knight.”

“What’s a griffon?” She asked her governess.

“A griffon is a race of mythical beasts that used to roam the lands during the time of the hero Blaiddyd.” The dark-haired woman explained, pointing at the winged mount, “They say that Blaiddyd himself rode a griffon to battle and had his own personal battalion made of griffon riders.”

“Wow.” Elster’s eyes were wide with curiosity and he asked the older woman, “Can we be griffon riders too?”

“No one has seen a griffon in centuries.” The governess replied, giving a small smile to them as she said, “They do say that if you gain a griffon’s trust, they will stay with you for life so I’m sure you can be a griffon rider if you ever see one.” 

After their short break, her governess will escort her to the training hall where Glenn would be learning basic sword training with the Fraldrius knight that had won last year’s Lafyn category. Byleth would follow the instructions the knight would give Glenn and her governess will make changes to her form to better fit her. She and Glenn would grin at each other and wave whenever they could which would make the knight frown at the governess who deliberately ignored him every time.

Once Glenn’s training would be done, she and her brother would play together until it was time for them to have lunch with the duke and duchess. Both Glenn and Byleth would talk about what they have learned for the day and the duke would talk about his past experience. Her governess would sometimes interrupt to help her charge when she has a hard time remembering the right word to use. 

Her governess would teach her proper etiquette and noble customs after lunch, starting with how she would walk (“do not slouch, keep your back straight”). Elster would be brought in to assist whenever they needed an extra hand to help Byleth understand certain etiquette or custom. They would take a little break after the lesson and Byleth would usually play in her room with her toys as Glenn had his own lessons by this time as well. Sometimes, Elster would play with her but it was quite rare as, most of the time, the young boy would be helping his mother with her tasks or sometimes one of the other maids. They would have another short lesson on the history of Faerghus after the break until it was time for dinner with the duke and duchess. Most of the time, her governess will go over everything they had covered for the day before bidding her goodnight and her nanny would help her get ready for bedtime. Sometimes, her governess would stay so she could be the one to tell her a bedtime story. 

Hunydd would tell her stories of the Wolf Kings while Katherine would tell her stories about the past rulers and well-known people of the kingdom. 

“Miss Katherine. Why don’t you tell me stories of the Wolf Kings?” She had asked the dark-haired woman one night when she was the one telling her a bedtime story.

“I don’t know any.” Her governess admitted with a shrug.

“That’s okay.” She nodded as she said, “I’ll tell you stories about them next time.”

“I would like that, Milady.” She nodded at her before continuing her tale of Loog and his final battle with the empire in Tailtean Plains. 

**Verdant Rain Moon, 1162 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

“What do you think of the duchess?” Her governess once asked her while they were sitting in the courtyard, watching the duchess talk to the head maid of Castle Fraldarius about something they couldn’t hear.

“Mother’s pretty.” Byleth replied the first thing she thought of. While her governess was wearing her dark green silk cloak, Byleth was only wearing a blue winter coat over her white long-sleeved blouse and black winter trousers. Since she had started her sword training, she had been wearing trousers instead of skirts but she still sometimes wear them if she’s not going to train or when she’s done training. 

“True but do you know what she is called?” Her governess asked as they continue to watch her mother talking the head maid of Castle Fraldarius, pointing at something she could not see. She shook her head silently.

“Answer with words.” Her governess instructed.

“I don’t know.” She replied promptly.

“Good.” The governess nodded before correcting, “However, a better answer would be ‘No, I do not. Could you please tell me?’ Repeat it.”

“No, I do not. Could you please tell me?” She dutifully repeated it.

“Better.” The older woman said before explaining, “Do not use ‘I don’t know’ as some idiots would think you’re as stupid as them.”

“But I don’t know.” Her charge replied with a frown, tilting her head towards her governess.

“Yes, you don’t and that is alright.” Her governess explained with a nod, “There are many things in this world that we don’t know or do not understand. We will spend the rest of our life learning new things and finding out there are other things we don’t know yet. However, for nobles, not knowing things is a weakness and you must not show it.”

“But nobles are also self-centered egotistical idiots.” She continued, “And they would definitely take pride in showing their superiority by answering your question.”

“What’s a self-cente-self-center-” The young girl frowned at her inability to say the word.

Her governess patted her head as she answered, “It means they care for no one else but themselves.”

“Oh.” She stared back at her mother as she asked, “So what’s mother called?”

“The Winter Beauty.” Her governess replied, staring at the duchess as well, “A beauty that rivals the ethereal yet cold beauty of Faerghus’ winter. Beautiful but cold, just like the winter in Faerghus.”

She turned her head to look at her charge as she explained, “The duchess is an epitome of what a noble lady of Faerghus inspires to be. Beautiful but respected like winter itself.”

“So I’m going to be winter too?” Byleth asked with a slight tilt of her head.

Katherine’s lips curved into a small smirk as she replied, “Yes. We’ll make everyone respect you, crest or no crest.” 

**Verdant Rain Moon, 1162 - Hunydd Powe, Castle Fraldarius**

Hunydd was worried. It wasn’t anything new. She tended to worry a lot, most of the time over the silliest things but this wasn’t one of them.

Katherine Hohenheim was a mysterious woman with a past no one knows about. Her inclusion to Castle Fraldarius as the little lady’s governess had piqued the curiosity and loose tongues of the entire castle yet no one seemed to know anything about her. She had registered as a citizen of Fhirdiad in the tournament and the School of Sorcery did confirm that she was a graduate a few years back but, other than that, no one knew any certain facts about her past. The leading gossip was that she was a bastard child of a noble from Fhirdiad or some other noble in Central or Southern Faerghus. Her attire wasn’t really fitted for the coldest winter of the northern territories. Being a bastard child was mainly liked because it added drama to her background.

However, Hunydd could see that the theory that she was an abandoned child by a noble could hold some ground. At the very least, it was clear that the dark-haired woman did not hold nobles in high regard. She was respectful of the duke and duchess, of course, and she did not actively antagonize any other nobles. She did avoid them as much as she could and her words would always be polite but curt, made to finish a conversation as soon as possible.

On the other hand, she knew a lot of noble customs and etiquettes. She also gives tips that could be used to give an idea of being what nobles are expected to act without sacrificing who they really are (“You’re not supposed to eat too much as that would be seen as disgusting and of lower class.” “But what if I’m still hungry?” “Then you hide lots of beef jerky and other dry food then eat them when you’re alone in your private chambers.”)

Hunydd understood that the little lady must learn how to be a proper noble and her governess was aiming for her to be the best, an epitome of what a kingdom noble should be. 

But that would mean being a ‘Winter Beauty’ like the duchess.

The duchess was not a bad person, Hunydd knew her as fair and honorable. That was the very core of what a kingdom noble should be: fair and honorable, loyal to the crown and pious to the Goddess. 

However, around that core were two types of kingdom nobles: the knightly nobles and the winter nobles. Many respectable nobles would be considered as knightly, whether it was a facade or not. House Blaiddyd, in general, was considered to be a house made of knightly nobles ever since the great hero Loog became king.

The winter nobles, on the other hand, were known as the nobles who adhere to the old ways, the ways of the ancient Wolf Kings. They were a reflection of Faerghus itself, children of the wolf born and raised in the harsh winters and the rugged lands. The winter nobles were known to be calm and collected, sometimes even cold and a bit harsh, yet respected for their strength and talent, sometimes even feared. House Mateus, the house of the duchess, was one of the only remaining houses that would have nobles who could be considered as winter nobles. A lot of people speculated that Pan, King Loog’s mysterious advisor, had been a member of House Mateus but a lot of noble houses claim to be the house of the undesiring advisor. What made it hard to be a winter noble was one could easily be isolated by how they act and it would be hard for them to gain allies from other nobles.

That was what Hunydd was worried about. Just the other day, Katherine had instructed her charge to not smile all the time which had shocked the brown-haired woman as her little lady’s smile was such a precious thing. 

So, here she was, trying to talk to the governess while their little lady was playing with her brother. When she had tried to confront her about it, the dark-haired woman just stared at her for a moment before turning her attention back towards the playing girl.

“And what is underneath all that snow?” She had said, making Hunydd blink.

“I’m sorry?”

“Fertile ground where nature can grow once winter is over.” Katherine turned to stare at Hunydd, “That is what is underneath. What I am teaching her is her shield and sword against those who wish to see her fall. You, on the other hand, will teach her the kindness and the love she will give to those she would care for.”

She wasn’t sure what the governess was saying but the other woman didn’t seem to mind as she simply continued, “A smile is a weapon and a gift. Something precious, as you have said, that only those who deserved it should see. Faerghus focuses too much on the harsh unforgiving cold brought by the coldest of winter yet fail to remember that winter is beautiful in its own way. Winter hides the warmth but the warmth will always be there and it is during the coldest of winter that we can feel the most wonderful warmth surrounding us.”

Sensing that her companion didn’t seem to understand most of what she’s saying, she chuckled and shook her head before saying, “As long as you’re here to remind her what kindness is, I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

With that said, the mysterious woman no longer spoke and merely watched the two children play.

Leaving Hunydd to wonder who Katherine Hohenheim really was.

**Wyvern Moon, 1162 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

Around mid-Garland Moon, the plague that had scourged the southern kingdom territories have reached central kingdom territories, including the kingdom capital Fhirdiad. In an effort to isolate the plague, the borders between the central kingdom territories and the northern kingdom territories have been closed. A large amount of supplies was sent to the northern kingdom territories before the borders were completely closed off and Grand Duke Rufus Faust Blaiddyd was proclaimed as the leader of the northern kingdom nobles during the isolation by King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd. The Grand Duke immediately used his new sovereign power to transfer all powers and responsibility as the leader of the northern nobles to Duke Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius of House Fraldarius. The northern nobles unanimously agreed upon the transfer but the southern and central kingdom nobles had different opinions over the matter. They remained silent as the king gave his blessing to the transfer. 

During this time, Sreng started a military campaign that lasted for five months. On the third month, the margrave sent his two sons to Castle Fraldarius while the margravine stayed to take care of the estates as the head of House Gautier led his knights against Sreng with the Lance of Ruins. Luciano Hektor Fraldarius rallied knights from House Fraldarius to aid House Gautier and Rufus Faust Blaiddyd, the Grand Duke of Itha, sent some men as well, led by the head of House Itha, Aetius Krashney Itha, a Dark Knight known for riding a dark red horse (said to have been imported from Almyra or Morfis) to battle and clad in black and red, earning him the moniker the Red Knight of the North. The other minor nobles sent a battalion to support House Gautier as well and some commoners who aspire to be knights also volunteered to join the campaign against Sreng. It almost seemed like Sreng knew that House Gautier will not be receiving reinforcements from Fhirdiad and the other non-northern kingdom nobles, most especially from House Blaiddyd and House Galatea.

With the two Gautier boys in Castle Fraldarius, Miklan joined Glenn’s daily sword training and his little brother would stay in the training hall to watch together with his nanny. After training was done, the two Gautier boys would play with the two Fraldarius siblings until it was time for lunch. Byleth would usually play with Sylvain as Miklan and Glenn liked playing with their toy swords using the basic techniques that Glenn’s instructor would be teaching them. Sometimes, she would show Sylvain the book of letters she used to learn her letters and try to teach the younger Gautier. It was harder than teaching her nanny’s son but Sylvain seemed to like hearing the letters and enjoyed repeating them so she kept at it. Her governess also let her show Sylvain the pictures and drawings she used when she told her stories and she would try to repeat them to the younger red-haired boy while her governess supervised, adding or correcting her whenever she forgot anything. Her governess approved of the activity as it helped hone her vocabulary and grammar.

On the second month of the Gautier boys’ stay in Castle Fraldarius, Glenn noticed that Sylvain tended to get bruises out of apparently nowhere so he kept a close eye on him as the duke has stressed that it was their duty to keep everyone in the castle safe and healthy. He had asked for his sister’s help as Sylvain was closer to Byleth than him. 

They wouldn’t know the reason for Sylvain’s bruises until later on when they were older.

The night of the 28th day of Wyvern Moon had been a cold night and Glenn had snuck Byleth out of her room to help him find the Gautier boys. A bit earlier, Glenn snuck out of his room to check on Sylvain, thinking maybe whatever was bruising the younger boy struck at night, but Sylvain’s room was empty. He went to Miklan’s room, thinking perhaps the younger Gautier was sleeping with his big brother but Miklan’s room was also empty.

Instead of doing the right thing and asking for help from a knight or a maid, Glenn snuck his sister out of her room and they decided to find the two boys by themselves instead. 

Byleth didn’t really want to leave the comforts of her bed but her brother had promised to bring her sweet potato cakes if she did so she let him drag him by the hand while her other hand held her stuffed lion tightly. Against the dark hallways of Castle Fraldarius, the two children wearing white nightgowns and their furred light blue cloaks stuck out but the east wing was surprisingly void of any patrolling knights.

This was absolutely strange as knights would still be patrolling even at the dead of night. Unfortunately, the two children did not know how strange and dangerous this was and they continued to walk towards the end of the east wing. Before getting to the end of the east wing, there was a sharp turn. That’s where they heard a whimpering.

Glenn immediately stopped once he heard the sound, pulling his little sister before dropping her hand so he can grip his training sword he had brought with both hands. He turned towards her and whispered, “Ssshh.”

Byleth nodded and followed her brother as he slowly walked towards the sharp turn.

“Shut up!” They heard someone hiss and they heard a thud. They recognized the voice and ran towards the sound.

They saw Miklan furiously whispering at his whimpering brother who was on the floor as he continuously shook him, “Shut up! Ssshh!”

“Hey!” Glenn shouted, running towards the Gautier boys. He pushed Miklan away from his brother and shouted, “You’re hurting him!”

“Shhh!” Miklan shushed Glenn and whispered furiously, “Shut up! They’ll hear us!”

“Wha-” Miklan covered Glenn’s mouth and forced him to crouch down. He guided the other boy’s head to turn towards the end of the east wing were two figures, shrouded by darkness, seem to be standing next to a door with a light on. 

This was strange because all of the rooms at the end of the east wing were not in use. Both boys watched the dark figures as they continue to stand motionless next to the door.

“Who’re they?” Glenn whispered, making Miklan shake his head.

“Dunno. Sylvain saw them walk past our rooms and he told me.” Miklan whispered back, “We followed ‘em here.”

While the two older brothers were busy watching the dark figures, Byleth walked towards Sylvain and knelt next to the whimpering boy. She patted the red-haired boy’s head as she said, “There, there. Where does it hurt?”

“‘Leth!” Sylvain cried, hugging the older girl as he whimpered, “Wanna go home!”

Miklan turned around to hush at his brother, “Ssshh! They’ll hear us!”

“There, there.” Byleth paid no attention to the older red-haired boy, patting Sylvain’s back, “Come on. Let’s go back.”

“‘Kay.” Sylvain nodded as he sniffed and let the older girl pull him up. 

She turned towards her brother and said, “Wen, let’s go.”

“You go ahead, By.” Her brother replied, keeping his eyes on the two dark figures, “Me and Miklan’ll stay.”

She pursed her lips but didn’t say anything. She felt Sylvain wrap her hand around hers tightly and heard him sniffle. She didn’t bother to reply to her brother and simply whispered to the younger Gautier, “Come on.”

The younger boy nodded and followed her as they began to walk back to their rooms. He continued to sniffle and whimper so she started to tell him the last story she heard, “Do you know about the sacred mountains in the kingdom?”

“No.” Sylvain replied, rubbing his eyes. 

“They say that inside one of the mountains is a huge castle.” She explained, trying to remember the story she heard just a few hours ago, “A noble family used to live in that castle and they protected our kingdom from the people from the other side of the mountains.”

“What happened to them?” Sylvain asked curiously, engrossed over Byleth’s story. He always liked listening to her stories whenever they played together. 

“No one knows.” She replied before she leaned towards him as she whispered, “They say the last son of the noble family became a knight then disappeared. They say the goddess took him herself.”

“Why?” The boy asked, tilting his head slightly like he had seen her do when she would ask a question.

Before she could answer, they heard Glenn and Miklan scream. They both turned and saw Miklan and Glenn running towards them with Glenn shouting, “Run, By! RUN!”

Byleth and Sylvain ran, the two older boys catching up to them with Miklan running faster than the other three. 

“Ah!” Sylvain shouted as he tripped and both Fraldarius children stopped to help him up while Miklan kept running.

“MIKLAN!” Glenn shouted but the other boy was already too far away. They could hear heavy footsteps coming from the direction they were running from and Glenn stood in front of Sylvain and Byleth, “By! Take Sylvain and go!”

“What about you?” Byleth asked as Sylvain clung to her with tears in his eyes.

“I’ll hold them off!” Glenn declared, gripping his training sword with both hands, “Go!”

“No!” Byleth shouted back, grabbing the fabric of Glenn’s cloak as she said, “Let’s all run!”

“By-”

“Glenn? Byleth?”

Both Fraldarius children stopped and turned towards the voice. Coming from the end of the east wing and walking towards them was their father, flanked by two knights wearing silver lion helmets.

Duke Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius stared at the three children, seeing his oldest son holding his training sword with trembling hands and his only daughter holding the crying second son of his childhood friend. Rodrigue pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. 

Oh, he was sure that he would be getting a headache once he asked what these children were doing here in the middle of the night and where the other Gautier boy was by now.

The following day, Duke Fraldarius announced that the queen of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus would be staying in Castle Fraldarius until the plague has been wiped out. He also mentioned that the queen was currently carrying the king’s firstborn child.

The nobles erupted into an uproar. 

**Red Wolf Moon, 1162 - Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

The announcement that the queen had been smuggled secretly into Fraldarius territory at the end of Wyvern Moon caused an uproar, not only in the northern part of the kingdom but even the central and southern parts of the kingdom as well. Most nobles and common folks in the southern and central kingdom territories were furious over the special treatment of the queen. Some of the northern nobles were worried about the fact that the queen could be a carrier of the plague. 

To help alleviate their worries, Queen Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd was kept in isolation at the end of the east wing together with her two Lionguards. The servants and knights who would have contact with her were also isolated into a nearby room in the east wing with the food being sent at the end of the corridor and a bell would be rung when it was okay for the servants to take the food. 

It alleviated most of their worries but presented a different dilemma for the northern nobles as their code of honor and chivalry would count this as something a knight should not do. This was their queen but they were treating her like she was a prisoner.

Grand Duke Blaiddyd had suggested he take his sister-in-law in but Duke Fraldarius had refused, stating that the queen had already had a hard time traveling from Fhirdiad to Fraldarius while pregnant and it would cause another uproar from those who still think she was either stricken with the plague or she was a carrier of the plague. Margrave Gautier summoned his sons back to Castle Gautier, a move many believe was to protect them from the possible plague. The duke himself did not believe such a thing and he believed that the margrave summoned his sons back since the campaign against Sreng was almost finished with their victory at hand and, for all his callousness and insensitivity, his childhood friend would still know that his sons would only add unnecessary complications with this current delicate situation.

As if to spite the other northern nobles, the duchess moved to the room next to the queen and joined her in isolation. Rodrigue was surprised by Ainara’s move as she did not inform him beforehand but he let it go. During this year, he and Ainara had finally reconciled and had even begun sharing bed once more. If this was a show of loyalty to the royal family or if his wife wanted some time away from him without making it too obvious to the rest of the castle and the other nobles, he would support her decision. 

Her presence seemed to help the queen’s health as well and he heard that they would spend the morning and evening together, reading quietly most of the time. 

He was glad that his liege’s love and his wife were bonding over this harsh time.

For now, he would just have to do what he can to keep the northern lords from rioting (separate letters from Rufus and Ruger had both shown support and a willingness to physically make the unruly northern lords submit were both nice but headache-inducing) and to make their children understand why their mother wouldn’t be joining lunch and dinner for a while.

He, however, did not have the heart to tell his daughter that she could not give the flowers she had picked from the Forest of Silence to her mother like last year’s founding day. 

**Red Wolf Moon, 1162 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

On the morning of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus’ Founding Day, her father took her and her brother back to the forest with the large clearing filled with different winter flowers. They played there once more, this time, they mostly played using sticks and trying out basic sword techniques they have learned during the past months. Their father had even given instruction and guidance as they played, showing them one basic sword stance that most members of House Fraldarius used. She picked some flowers as well to give to her mother like last year. 

However, she didn’t know where her mother was.

According to her nanny, her mother was at the end of the east wing with the queen but she wasn’t allowed to enter the east wing. Her nanny had been apologetic as she told her she couldn’t give the flowers to her mother. When she asked for help from her governess, the dark-haired woman just shrugged and suggested she give the flowers when they next meet.

But that would have been too late by then!

She wanted to give the flowers to her mother now!

Her governess just raised an eyebrow at her unexpected tantrum and waited till the young girl was done before instructing her to control her emotions better as people would see such display as a weakness.

She stormed out of the room without saying another word.

Surprisingly, her governess had not followed her. 

She told her nanny that she would be visiting Glenn and her nanny had wanted to escort her but she quickly dashed out of the room and ran away from the worried older woman.

Her guilt over making her nanny worry was squashed down by her desire to give her mother the flowers she picked.

Since she wasn’t allowed to enter the east wing, Byleth decided to walk to the castle’s guard tower instead. Both the east and west wing had a courtyard that could be accessed by going to the castle’s guard tower and entering the guards’ passageways. The passageways directly lead to both ends of the east and the west wing and were created to give the guards and knights a fast way to access either wing in times of necessity. 

She only knew about it because her governess had shown her around and made her remember the layout of the castle by repeatedly walking everywhere during their afternoon break. 

Because of that, none of the guards or knights who saw her enter the guard tower were surprised. They bow and bid her a good day, some even bid her to have a wonderful founding day, and she greeted back, making sure to curtsy like her governess taught her to do. 

Using the guard’s passageway, she was able to reach the east wing’s courtyard easily. The passageway ended in a closed-door she had to push open and she walked in the snowy courtyard, her winter boots making crunching noise against the snow, making her way towards the east wing.

“Hello.” 

Byleth stopped and turned towards the voice, seeing a beautiful woman with brown hair sitting on a chair in a balcony leading to one of the rooms on the first floor of the east wing. She was wearing a simple white long-sleeved dress underneath a thick furred dark blue cloak with a symbol on the back. Her hair was just a few inches below her shoulders which she decorated by a white hairband with a white rose made of lace on the left side. 

“Hello.” Byleth greeted back, walking towards the woman. 

“Oh, those are such pretty flowers.” The brown-haired woman smiled softly at her, her hand rubbing her huge stomach as she asked, “Did you pick them yourself?”

“Uh-huh.” Byleth nodded, resting her hands on the railings of the balcony as she said, “I picked them for mother.”

“That’s so sweet. I’m sure Ainara would love them.” The older woman said sweetly. She stood and walked towards the railings, “Would you like to come inside? It’s warmer here.”

“Yes, please.” Byleth answered with a nod. She handed the flowers to the woman before climbing the railings. The young woman helped her climb down and led her back towards the table. 

She sat on the chair and sighed as she felt the warmth of the chair. Many of the chairs outside were infused by warming crystals during winter so people could still sit down if they wanted to. The woman grabbed a glass from the table and placed the flowers in it. She placed the glass back on the table, near the young girl so she could pick them back anytime she wanted.

She watched the woman as she sat back on her own seat and tilted her head as she asked, “Who’re you?”

The woman blinked at her for a moment before smiling at her once more as she said, “Oh, that’s right! You were only a baby when we met.”

She giggled as she rubbed her stomach before replying, “I’m Cardia. It’s nice to meet you again, Byleth.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Cardia.” She dutifully bowed like her governess taught her too, making the older woman giggle once more.

“Please, there’s no need to be so formal with me.” The green-eyed woman said, lifting the teapot from the table as she asked, “Would you like to have tea with me, Byleth?” 

“Okay.” She nodded, watching Cardia pour her a cup of tea with a strong herbal fragrance. She continued to watch as the older woman lifted the saucer the cup rested on and placed it in front of the young girl before taking sitting down once more. Cardia smiled at her as she asked, “Milk or sugar?”

“No, thank you.” Byleth replied promptly and the older woman nodded. She copied the brown-haired woman as she took the white napkin next to her cup and spread it over her lap before she lifted both the saucer and the cup until it was at the same height as her stomach. She lifted the cup and sipped. The young girl blinked and stared at her cup as she tasted a flowery taste with a hint of apple in the tea itself. She raised her head and saw Cardia smiling at her.

“Do you like it?” The brown-haired woman asked sweetly, making Byleth nod. She liked it more than the smokey and woodsy tea her father let her have when she would see him have tea. 

“I’m glad you like it.” The woman giggled before she admitted, “Actually, I never liked this tea before but I think the baby likes it.”

She rubbed her stomach once more as the girl asked, “Baby?”

“Yes.” She nodded and sweetly said, “He’s such an energetic boy. He would kick all the time. I’m just so happy that he likes cheese too. I would cry if I wouldn’t be able to eat cheese while I’m carrying him.”

Cardia smiled softly at her as she wished, “I hope you would get along with him once he’s born.”

“I’d like to meet him.” Byleth replied politely, making the pregnant woman giggle.

“I’m sure he would like to meet you too.” Cardia shifted so she was sitting sideways on her chair. She beckoned the girl towards her and Byleth jumped off her chair and walked towards her. Once the young girl was in front of her, the brown-haired woman gently grabbed her wrist and pressed her hand onto her stomach. The young girl jolted as she felt something press against her hand. The pregnant woman grinned at her as she said, “See? He wants to meet you too.”

Byleth’s face brightened and she smiled at the older woman’s stomach as she whispered, “Hello, baby.”

She felt something press against her hand again and she smiled at Cardia who grinned at her. She whispered to the young girl, “I think he wants to know about your day, my dear.”

Byleth enthusiastically nodded and started to talk about her morning, “Honey woke me early so I can go back to the hero forest with father and Wen…”

The older woman smiled at the young girl as she continued to talk to her baby, feeling the baby kick at the sound of her voice. 

That’s how the duke and duchess found them, worried and just an inch away from forming a search party for their missing daughter. Her nanny had been crying which made her son cry as well and the duke scolded her later on for her behavior and forbade her from leaving her room for the next two days. 

Her governess simply asked her if she was able to give her mother the flowers and Byleth replied that she did. 

“I’m happy for you, Lady Byleth.” Her governess said with a small smirk playing on her face.

Three days later, she dragged her nanny to accompany her back to the east wing. The sweet woman was sitting in the balcony once more, this time with two knights wearing silver lion helmets standing on either side of the balcony.

She smiled at the girl and greeted, “Hello, Byleth. How are you today?”

“I’m fine, thank you!” She replied with a smile, climbing the balcony railing, much to her nanny’s panic. She jumped off the railings and ran towards the woman, placing her hands on the woman’s stomach as she greeted, “Hello, baby.”

She grinned when she felt the baby kick against her hand and the brown-haired woman giggled. She raised her head to stare at the smiling woman and asked, “Cardia, can we have tea again?”

Cardia’s face brightened and she gave a big smile as she replied, “I would love to, Byleth.”

It wasn’t long until the entirety of Castle Fraldarius knew that Little Lady Fraldarius was having tea daily with the Queen of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.

**Ethereal Moon, 1162 - Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd, Castle Fraldarius**

On the evening of the 19th day of the Ethereal Moon, the queen of Faerghus was rushed into the Healing Room after five hours of labor. No one knew why other than there had been a complication during the delivery. Many healers were summoned into the healing room and they continued to work for about twenty hours, causing them to develop a rotation so they may combat magical exhaustion. Even Byleth’s governess was summoned to assist the healers due to her magical prowess even though it was well known that she only knew basic Faith magic. 

On the evening of the 20th day of the Ethereal Moon, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, firstborn son of the royal couple Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd and Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd, was born.

The complications from the prince’s birth left the queen weakened and in dire need of constant surveillance from the healers. The duchess had taken it upon herself to keep vigil over the queen with the prince’s wet nurse and the queen’s two Lionguards as healers come and go in the queen’s private chambers to check up on her in the following days. 

With the plague having reached Fhirdiad, King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd chose to stay in the Kingdom capital with a heavy heart as the borders between the northmost kingdom territories remain close in an effort to stop the plague from reaching the remaining northern kingdom territories. To further ensure that the safety of the northern kingdom territories, no goods or items were sent to the queen and only a spoken message from the king’s Lionguard Ulrich to the queen’s Lionguard Katya was received, shouted between the border walls of Fhirdiad and Fraldarius. 

The queen would not receive the short message until she regained enough strength to sit and stay awake for more than a few hours, which coincidentally was on the afternoon of Saint Chihol Day. 

“My love, my heart breaks that I cannot hold you and our dear son in my arms during such time. There is not a day where I do not miss your sweet smile and your soft warm hands. I pray to the Goddess for your and our son’s health and safety. I swear to you that I will not rest until our people have been saved from this accursed plague and I can finally have both of you in my arms.” The Lionguard Katya recited as she stood in front of the queen’s bed, “With all the love in the world, your husband, Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd.”

Cardia chuckled softly as she cradled her son in her arms, smiling at her Lionguard as she asked, “And he asked Ulrich to deliver that message?”

“Yes, my queen.” Her Lionguard replied, unable to hide the mirth in her voice as she remembered the day she had to listen to the oldest Lionguard shout the entire message to her from across the border wall. 

“And how many times did you ask him to repeat it to remember the entire message?” The queen asked with a teasing smile.

“Five times, my queen.” Her Lionguard admitted, not speaking for a few seconds before she admitted, “But I may have asked one of the squires stationed in the border to write it down for me after the third time.”

“Katya!” The queen scolded half-heartedly before giggling.

Her Lionguard shrugged as she said, “It is not my fault if the squire I had asked to write it down needed to hear it two more times.”

Both the queen and her Lionguard giggled. 

Ulrich had been the previous’ king’s Lionguard and was old enough to be Cardia’s father. When the Blaiddyd a Lionguard serves dies, they are given a choice to take back their title and lineage or to serve another Blaiddyd. Gustave Eddie Dominic, a well known respectable knight of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, was the previous king’s Lionguard but, upon his death, resigned from his Lionguard post and became a knight instead, in the service of the royal family, together with the rest of the previous king’s Lionguards. Ulrich was the only one who took an oath to serve King Lambert as his Lionguard and, as such, was the de facto leader of all of the Lionguards. 

Someone knocked on the door and the queen said, “Enter.”

The duchess opened the door and bowed at the bedridden woman, “My queen.”

“Ainara.” Cardia’s lips curved into a small soft smile as she said, “Thank you for visiting me once more.”

Ainara closed the door behind her and approached the bed, standing next to the queen’s Lionguard, as she replied, “It is my pleasure, my queen.”

“Oh, how many times must I tell you? Please call me Cardia.” The young queen reminded the duchess as she continued to smile. Her Lionguard silently walked to take post next to the door as the queen patted the space on her bed next to her, “Please sit, Ainara.”

“Thank you, my queen.” The duchess said respectfully, walking towards the bed and sitting on the edge of the bed to the right of the queen.

The brown-haired woman pouted at her as she repeated, “Cardia.”

“Forgive me but I cannot, Your Majesty.” The faired haired woman shook her head as she explained, “It would be improper of me to speak of you with such familiarity.”

“But our husbands call each other by their names as well.” The queen said before giggling slightly, “Although Rodrigue only calls my love by his name when he is frustrated over something and is planning to scold him.”

“I… see…” The duchess replied, unsure whether she should tell the bedridden woman that her husband had never told her about such a thing. As far as she knew, the duke had always put the king on a pedestal.

“That’s why I hope that we would have a similar closeness between us.” The queen reasoned. Her eyes softened as she watched her baby sleep in her arms as she added gently, “As I and Lambert hope that your children will also be close to our dear Dima.”

“I am sure that Glenn will be loyal to the crown prince.” Ainara replied immediately, knowing that her husband was already teaching their son about their duty to the royal family.

“And your daughter?” The queen raised her eyes to stare at the duchess, noticing the slight twitching of her hands against her lap. 

“Byleth…” The duchess’ words falter and she lowered her eyes, staring at the bedding instead, as she shamefully said, “I do not know what my husband has plans for her, Your Majesty.”

“I cannot comprehend what it must feel like to be in your position.” The queen said gently, “But whether she bears your blood or not, there is no need to feel guilt over loving her as a daughter.”

Ainara raised her head to stare at the queen, her eyes wide, as she asked, “You… you know?”

The queen’s lips curved into a fond smile as she admitted, “My sweet husband cannot keep a secret from me.”

“I…” The duchess was lost of words. She lowered her head and closed her eyes as she admitted, “I know it’s not her fault. I know that I am in the wrong for acting cruelly but… but…”

She felt a hand cover hers and she raised her head. Cardia was smiling at her softly. Her words were gentle as she said, “It’s part of being human, Ainara. You felt betrayed not just by your husband but by the king that is sworn to protect you as part of the kingdom. You lashed out on the easiest person and, yes, that was wrong but we all make mistakes. We can be cruel by accident. We can hurt each other without meaning to but what matters is that we realize this. And when we do realize this, we stop and change.”

“The past shapes us but we shape the future.” The queen placed a hand on her face, gently wiping the tears that fell from the duchess’ eyes, “What matters is what you do now.”

“I will not say what you should do but I hope that you think about it, not for the betterment of the kingdom or the wishes of the king.” Cardia gently grasped one of her hands as she continued, “Think about what is best for you, for your family, for your children.”

Her lips curved into a soft smile as she added, “Especially for the one you are carrying now.”

“How… did you know?” Ainara asked, her hands immediately going to her stomach as she stared at the brown-haired woman.

“Well, I was pregnant too so I suppose I had a feeling?” Cardia replied with a slight tilt of her head as she actually thought about it, “I suppose the most telling part is that you stop wearing corsets but I don’t think the others realized it yet. You barely look any different.”

The duchess chuckled as she reasoned, “Well, it helped that everyone was too busy fussing over the queen.”

The queen chuckled as well before she said with a smile, “You’re welcome.”

Someone knocked on the door before it opened. Her other Lionguard stepped inside and announced, “I have brought Lady Byleth, my queen.”

“Oh, thank you, Colette! Please let her in!” The queen nodded at her Lionguard before turning to face the duchess, “I have missed having tea with her.”

The duchess’ lips curved into a small smile as she commented, “I’m sure you have, Your Majesty.”

The Lionguard stepped to the side so the young girl could enter. Byleth was wearing a white long-sleeved blouse and dark blue skirts that ended by her knees. Her legs were covered by warm black stockings and a pair of white boots that ended two inches above her ankles. Behind her was her nanny, holding a tray which had a teapot, two teacups and a plate filled with biscuits and cookies. She curtiesed as she greeted, “Good afternoon, Your Majesty.”

She noticed the duchess and greeted her as well, “Good afternoon, mother.”

“Good afternoon, my dear.” the queen greeted back, smiling at her as she patted the other side of her bed, “Come sit with me.”

“Thank you.” The girl replied and walked towards the bed.

The duchess stood as Byleth stopped next to the bed, making the bedridden woman turn towards her. She bowed as she said, “Please excuse me, Your Majesty. I must leave and… think about our conversation.”

Cardia nodded in understanding and said, “I hope you find an answer you will not regret, Ainara.”

“I…” Ainara paused, glancing at the young girl for a moment before replying solemnly, “I hope so too, Cardia.”

The brown-haired woman’s lips curved into a bright smile at the sound of her name. The duchess walked away from the bed, stopping in front of the young girl. She hesitantly raised her hand and caressed the top of the girl’s shoulder-length hair twice. Ainara didn’t meet the girl’s wide blue eyes and walked out of the room silently, paying no heed to the jaw slacked nanny staring at her. The girl raised her hand and touched the part of her head that the woman had caressed, turning to look at her nanny. Her nanny smiled brightly at her with tears forming in her eyes. She smiled back at her nanny and hugged her waist, making the older woman’s grip on the tray wobble slightly but she didn’t mind, smiling brightly at her charge as she whispered, “I’m so happy for you, little lady.”

The little girl nodded happily before turning to smile at the queen. She ran towards the bed and jumped on it, making the older woman laugh as she slightly bounced. Byleth crawled towards the queen, her eyes trained on the baby in her arms. Cardia smiled sweetly at her and said, “Come closer, my dear.”

Byleth crawled until she was right next to the queen. The older woman leaned closer to her, showing her the baby in her arms as she introduced, “Byleth, this is my son, Dima.”

“Dima.” Byleth repeated, raising a hand. She gently poked Dimitri’s nose, giggling when the baby scrunched his face. She smiled at him as she whispered, “Hello, Dima.” 

On the last day of the Ethereal Moon of 1162, Queen Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd and Prince Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd were called back to Fhirdiad due to the insistence of the royal court.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Faerghus’ Coat of Arms (GD spoilers)  
If you look at the kingdom’s coat of arms, it’s actually a knight riding a griffon while holding a sword with the crest of Blaiddyd is below the knight. The knight has a lot of similarity to the Griffon rider class from Fire Emblem Awakening so I use the term griffon instead of a griffin (griffon is apparently an alternative word for griffin). The hero Blaiddyd is actually a dark knight riding a horse in the Golden Deer route though, not a griffon but not a lot of info is known to be true about any of the ten elites. Blaiddyd riding a griffon is one of the most prominent folklore surrounding him and is the main reason why the kingdom has decided to use a griffon rider instead of the usual paladin or pegasus knight when they had created their coat of arms. 
> 
> Sacred Mountains  
Byleth is talking about Sacred Gwenhwyvar, a mountain range separating Faerghus from Duscur. Not much is known about these mountains other than it holds a sacred meaning to both Faerghus and Duscur. Common folklore about the mountain range is that one of the mountains actually has a castle inside that once belonged to a now-dead kingdom noble house.
> 
> Tea During Pregnancy  
This is a work of fiction. As such, a lot of the things in this fic should be taken with a grain of salt. Some teas have been proven harmful to the baby due to the amount of caffeine in it. Herbal tea (like the one in this fic) does not have enough research done to them to see if they are safe to drink during pregnancy so please consult your doctor before drinking any if you are expecting.
> 
> Warming Crystal  
Similar to the light crystal from the previous chapter, warming crystals are simple magical crystals that absorb the users’ Reason magic to emit a specific range of warmth. The duration of this crystal’s warmth is fixed by the size of the crystal itself, the bigger it is, the longer the warmth will stay. Warming crystals are usually placed under a chair or a table and are big enough to last from sunrise to sunset. After the sun sets, mages under the service of the House would focus their Reason magic to the crystals to reset the duration.
> 
> Magical Exhaustion  
A temporary magical illness caused by continuous usage of a specific type of spell. The main way to combat magical exhaustion is to continue to develop mastery over the chosen magic category (Faith, Reason or Dark) which will further develop how many times one can use a specific spell in that category. One can still cast a spell even if they have reached their limit but doing so will cause magical exhaustion. Continuous spellcasting even after reaching the limit may cause the user to lose consciousness and be bedridden for days. When one has magical exhaustion, the main treatment is to take a rest for two hours (minimum, five hours is highly recommended). Some also say that eating sweet food also helped in magical exhaustion but this has yet to be proven. As such, during continuous need for a specific spell (such as healing one with grave injuries for a long period of time), the most common practice is to have a rotation for those who can cast the spell so that everyone can take turns to rest. 
> 
> Names of Characters Appearing/Being Mentioned In This Chapter (Which May Become Important or Not):  
Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius (birth name Byleth Eisner), daughter of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Duke of Fraldarius  
Ainara Violette Fraldarius (nee Mateus), Duchess of Fraldarius  
Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, firstborn son of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus  
Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd (nee Gideon), Queen of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus  
Ruger Juan Gautier, Margrave of Gautier  
Orlene Adelheid Gautier (nee Muzette), Margravine of Gautier  
Miklan Anschutz Gautier, firstborn son of Margrave of Gautier  
Sylvain Jose Gautier, second son of Margrave Gautier  
Gustave Eddie Dominic, Knight of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus (previously a Lionguard)  
Hunydd Powe, Fraldarius servant and nanny to Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius  
Elster Powe, son of Hunydd Powe  
Katherine Hohenheim, Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius' personal governess  
Aetius Krashney Itha, Baron of Itha, under the direct command of the Grand Duke  
Lambert’s four Lionguards (Ulrich, Viktor, Korre, and Donovan)  
Cardia’s two Lionguards (Katya and Colette)


	5. 1163

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Faerghus continues to suffer this unknown plague, a savior appears from the south.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! Please check out @princessgabus and their awesome art for this fic!  
[Byleth teaching Sylvain and Byleth with Cardia (and Dimitri in the womb)](https://twitter.com/princessgabus/status/1184022259180199937)  
[Byleth giving Ainara flowers for the first time and The Whooshing Scene of Byleth and Glenn](https://twitter.com/princessgabus/status/1184749209611833344)  
[Byleth with Cardia (and Dimitri in the womb)](https://twitter.com/princessgabus/status/1186800811675926530)  
[Red Wolf Moon 1163 Byleth](https://twitter.com/princessgabus/status/1185575648112381953)
> 
> Sorry for those I said I would have this posted last week. That was the plan but the characters decided to do more stuff than I expected. XD
> 
> So Fodlan’s new year apparently starts on the 4th month (Great Tree Moon) because that’s the Founding of the Adrestian Empire. This means the end of the year in Fodlan is actually the 3rd month (Lone Moon). I had to update Ch4 to be “Late 1161 - 1162” because of this but that’s pretty much all the changes I had to do for the previous chapters. 
> 
> Also, AO3’s notes character limit has now caused all future ‘More Information’ notes to be added at the end of the story instead. I’ll keep the other non-’More Information’ notes on the endnotes though

**Great Tree Moon, 1163 - Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd, Castle Blaiddyd**

Queen Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd and Crown Prince Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd left Castle Fraldarius on the fourth day of the Guardian Moon of the Imperial Year 1162. The insistence of the royal court for her and the crown prince’s immediate return was due to the mounting cries of both the southern and central nobles and common folks against the special treatment of the queen. Rumors of a mounting coup and general civil unrest quickly overtook Fhirdiad. In an effort to quell the growing unrest, especially in the capital city Fhirdiad, the queen and prince quickly returned to Fhirdiad.

Among the royal court, only Count Leonardo Cael Gellum, Lord Ioan Bellinor Wiverudd, Doctor Abraham Gauis, and Gustave Eddie Dominic had argued against the return, forcing the hands of King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd to approve the order.

On the 7th day of the Great Tree Moon of the Imperial Year 1163, Queen Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd was confirmed to have fallen victim to the plague and was immediately quarantined to the Griffon Tower of Castle Blaiddyd, a tower where all infected members of Castle Blaiddyd and the healers with Doctor Abraham Gauis were located in an effort to isolate the plague. Doctor Abraham Gauis and the healers of Castle Blaiddyd kept a non-stop surveillance to the queen, trying to delay the final stages of the plague until a cure could be found. 

All magic users in both Castle Blaiddyd and the School of Sorcery have been working tirelessly to find a cure for the plague since the start of the quarantine of the southern and central kingdom territories, isolating themselves inside the school with the students who decided to stay even after it was announced that classes would be postponed until the plague was eradicated. The Western Church had also sent additional healers to Fhirdiad in an effort to help those in Griffon Tower. 

On the 20th day of the Great Tree Moon of the Imperial Year 1163, Queen Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd took her last breath, surrounded by healers and Doctor Abraham Gauis.

Both the king and prince were not allowed to visit the queen even once since her isolation in fear that either of them would be infected by the plague as well. 

As per procedure, the queen’s body was burned at the top of Griffon Tower immediately after the confirmation of her death and the final rites have been performed by a bishop currently staying in the Griffon Church for the sole purpose of performing the final rites to the deceased. 

For the next forty days, the entire city of Fhirdiad mourned the death of their queen, lighting candles each night and offering funeral flowers by the gates of Castle Blaiddyd in the morning. In Castle Blaiddyd itself, all mirrors were covered and all the curtains drawn shut while sweet-smelling herbs permeated the entire castle. Everyone in Fhirdiad wore black gloves during this time and the chapel in Fhirdiad would offer the first mass of each day to the queen.

The king shut himself in his studies for the first five days before returning to his duties on the sixth day. The day the king returned to his duties, the royal court was summoned for an urgent meeting. 

No one truly knew what was said in the meeting, only that Duke Lucis Croire Egrette of House Egrette had began to pressure the School of Sorcery for results immediately after. In response, the School of Sorcery had began sending letters to their contacts from all over Fodlan. The king’s Lionguard Ulrich was also dispatched to the borders separating Fraldarius from Blaiddyd territory with the announcement that, as of this day, Duke Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius would be named as the King Regent of the northern kingdom territories, thereby granting the northern kingdom territories autonomy against any orders from the royal court. The Duke of Fraldarius immediately created a round table composed of Margrave Ruger Juan Gautier of House Gautier, Grand Duke Rufus Faust Blaiddyd of House Blaiddyd and Baron Aetius Krashney Itha of House Itha that will rule over the northern kingdom territories until the borders open once more. 

It was also announced afterward that the king had ordered for a representative for the common folks to be added to the royal court, effective immediately. Anyone who would like to take part had to know how to read and write. In addition, they must have proper documentation that they were born and raised in Faerghus. Due to the urgency of the order, only those in Fhirdiad had been able to take part in the selection. From the many applicants, Theodore Schwarzen, Head of the Merchant Guild in Fhirdiad, was selected to become part of the royal court. 

On the fortieth day since the queen’s passing, King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd left Fhirdiad early in the morning together with his Lionguards and First Knight Gustave Eddie Dominic. They returned late in the evening, carrying a large carcass of a winter wolf that the king had killed himself.

The winter wolf was skinned by the king himself and his Lionguards helped in removing all the meat which they gave to the castle kitchen. The meat was cooked into small meat pies that were distributed to both Castle Blaiddyd and to those who kept vigil by the gates together with Mateus mulled wine. The bones of the winter wolf were placed in the queen’s empty tomb in the royal crypt underneath Castle Blaiddyd together with her wedding dress, the pelt of the winter wolf and the first blanket used by the crown prince. 

The late queen’s Lionguards placed bouquets of Amaryllis, Ornithogalum and the Aconite grown in Castle Blaiddyd’s inner courtyard around the wolf’s bones. The king guided his son in placing a pink Statice on one of the eye sockets of the wolf before he placed a yellow Statice on the other socket. 

The royal family stayed in the crypt with their Lionguards and the king’s First Knight Gustave Eddie Dominic for the remainder of the night.

The next day, both of the late queen’s Lionguards refused to retire and asked to remain in the service of House Blaiddyd. The Lionguard Katya was transferred into the service of King Lambert while the Lionguard Colette became the crown prince’s first Lionguard.

**Great Tree Moon, 1163 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

Everybody knew that Little Lady Byleth would always have tea in the east wing by herself every day during her afternoon break while her nanny sat on a chair behind her as she taught her son how to sew. There would be an empty chair in front of her which she would serve tea to even though no one would drink it. Another chair would be placed on her right side where her favorite stuffed lion would sit each day with its own teacup. 

Everyone knew that the empty chair was for the queen.

And when the queen died on the 20th day, no one had the heart to tell the little lady about it.

On the 24th day of the Great Tree Moon, her mother came up to her as she was making tea. She stood from her seat before turning towards her and curtsying as she greeted, “Good afternoon, mother.”

Ainara stared at her silently for a few moments before she opened her mouth. She stopped before any words could come out and closed her mouth. She stared at the young girl watching her curiously for a few more seconds before asking, “Would you mind if I join you for tea today?”

Byleth’s face brightened and she nodded eagerly, “Mmhm!”

The duchess’ lips curved into a small smile for a few seconds before it disappeared as she took a seat on the chair in front of her daughter. 

Byleth grabbed the tea kettle and began to pour on an empty teacup as Ainara watched. Noticing that the little girl was using the proper tea etiquette as she grabbed the saucer the cup was resting on and placed it in front of her mother before pouring another cup. As the little girl handed the saucer to her stuffed lion, the fair-haired woman asked, “Did Miss Katherine teach you this?”

Byleth shook her head and smiled brightly at her mother as she replied, “Cardia taught me!”

The older woman’s breath hitched at those words, watching the young girl as she poured one last time. She placed the tea kettle on the table before turning towards her mother as she asked, “Milk or sugar?”

“Sugar please.” Her tea companion replied and the little girl grabbed the sugar bowl and placed it in front of her mother, who nodded at her, “Thank you.” 

Byleth sat on her seat and watched her mother open the sugar bowl. Ainara used the sugar bowl spoon to add sugar in her tea twice while her daughter grabbed the small milk pitcher and added almost a third of a cup of milk into her tea. They both mixed their tea by dragging the spoon forward and backward repeatedly. 

When Byleth noticed that her mother had stopped mixing, she also stopped mixing and copied the older woman as she took the white napkin next to their cup and spread it over her lap. They both lifted the saucer until it was at the same height as their stomach before lifting the cup. They took a sip before returning the cup onto the saucer and turning to face one another.

Neither of them said anything.

Both Hunydd and her son were fidgeting at the silence.

“Byleth…” Ainara called out, making the young girl stare at her with her big blue eyes.

“Yes, mother?” Byleth asked eagerly.

The duchess seemed lost of words, lowering her eyes to stare at the tea in front of her. 

They both remained silent for about an entire minute which only made Byleth’s nanny and her nanny’s son looked at each other with growing panic.

Her mother raised her head and asked, “How… how was your morning?”

Byleth’s lips curved into a bright smile as she enthusiastically replied, “Miss Katherine praised me today! She said I’m getting better at reading! I got to read Loog and the Maiden of the Wind to Elster! Loog hasn’t met the Wind Maiden yet but Miss Katherine said I can continue reading tomorrow!”

“That’s wonderful.” The duchess’ lips curved into a small smile as she commented, “I loved that book as a child.”

“Really?” her daughter’s eyes shone as she asked, “What’s your favorite book, mother?”

“Me? Well…” The duchess took a moment to think of her answer before replying, “I grew up reading mostly books about knights and chivalry. I think it would be safe to say that almost everyone in Faerghus did. But if I have to choose a favorite, it would have to be ‘The Defender Queen of the Snowy Kingdom.”

“‘The Defender Queen of the Snowy Kingdom?” The little girl repeated, tilting her head slightly.

“Yes.” A small smile appeared on her mother’s face as she explained, “A long time ago, the king of a snowy kingdom died due to sickness and his son was still too young to take the throne. His wife, Aethelflaed, became queen regent until their son becomes old enough to take the throne. Unfortunately, during this time, their snowy kingdom was under constant attack of monstrous beings made of blood and flames. To protect the kingdom and their only son, she took arms and defended the kingdom for ten years.”

Byleth and Elster stared at the duchess with wide eyes, captivated by her story.

“With this shield, I shall protect those I love.” Ainara recited as she stood and raised her left hand. She raised her right hand towards the sun as she continued, “With this sword, I shall cut a path to our future!”

“Wow.” Byleth and Elster uttered with wide eyes, staring at Ainara. Even her nanny was staring at the duchess in surprise.

The duchess realized that everyone was staring at her and her cheeks reddened. She quickly sat and cleared her throat before saying as she stared at the table, “Tha-that was a line in the book.”

“Mother!” Ainara jolted at her daughter’s loud voice. The young girl was smiling brightly as she asked, “Please tell me more about the Defender Queen!”

The duchess seemed surprised by the request. Seeing the excited faces of both children, Ainara blinked before she said, “O-oh. Well, I think I can tell you the first chapter as I remember it quite well.”

Both children leaned forward and listened intently as the duchess started.

“It had been a cold harsh night when the king fell ill…”

The following morning, her governess was surprised when she asked if she could read ‘The Defender Queen of the Snowy Kingdom’ after she finished ‘Loog and the Maiden of the Wind’. Seeing the eager faces of both her charge and the other boy, she had agreed to it. 

On her way to check the library in Castle Fraldarius for the book the two children wanted to read, one of the duchess' handmaidens called out to her to give her the book in question. Apparently, the handmaiden had been ordered by the duchess herself to give the book to her. 

Katherine accepted the book with a nod, letting the handmaiden leave without asking any questions. 

When she told the little lady that the duchess was the one who provided the book, the dark-haired woman wouldn't help but smile back at her charge's bright smile. 

**Hapstring Moon, 1163 - Katherine Hohenheim, Castle Fraldarius**

With Duke Fraldarius becoming King Regent of the northern kingdom territories, his responsibilities grew. The duchess took on a lot of her husband’s duties in the Fraldarius territories so that he can focus on his new duties as King Regent. 

This caused the duchess to become too busy to have her daily tea party with her daughter which they had begun during the last days of Great Tree Moon.

It was during one of her charge’s afternoon tea parties that Katherine approached her as she sat alone at the same place in the east wing. The little girl blinked at her as she approached but did not say anything until she stood in front of her.

“Good afternoon, Miss Katherine.” She greeted as she had been instructed, nodding at her governess.

The dark-haired woman rested her hand on the back of the chair in front of her as she asked, “Good afternoon, Little Lady. May I join you for tea?”

Byleth brightly smiled at her and nodded, “Mmhm.”

“Use your words.” Her governess reminded her before instructing, “I would be delighted, Miss Katherine.” 

Her little charge gave a small smile as she repeated, “I would be delighted, Miss Katherine.”

“Good.” The older woman nodded before she took a seat. She watched her charge prepare the tea, taking note of the perfect execution of her movements as she went through the steps of serving tea. 

Once she has served all three participants, she turned towards her governess as she asked, “Milk or sugar?”

“No, thank you.” Katherine replied with a slight shake of her head.

Byleth nodded at her answer before taking a seat. Her governess watched as she took the white napkin next to her cup and spread it across her lap. The young girl stared at her and she took her own napkin and spread it across her lap as well. Her charge lifted the saucer until it was the height of her stomach before lifting the cup and taking a sip.

Instead of taking a sip herself, Katherine crossed her right leg over her left and placed her left elbow on the table. She rested her chin against the palm of her left elbow as she asked, “Doesn’t it get lonely having tea all by yourself? It is quite alright to invite others to tea if you know the duchess cannot come.”

“I’m not alone.” The little girl replied placing the cup back to its saucer but kept a hold on it as she said, “Sir Loog always has tea with me.”

The dark-haired woman glanced at the stuffed lion sitting on the chair between her and the young girl. Everybody knew about the Little Lady’s favorite toy, Sir Loog Alistair Fraldarius, and everybody knew who had gifted it to her.

“Has anyone told you about the queen?” She asked, staring at her charge.

“Cardia? Oh, yes!” Byleth’s lips curved into a smile as she said to her governess, “Father said we would visit her and King Lamb once everyone gets better in Fhirdiad!”

The older woman watched her silently for a few moments.

As she had deduced, no one still had the heart to tell her that the queen was dead. She couldn’t really blame any of them. The duke was too busy ensuring the peace and unity of the northern kingdom territories and the duchess, while also busy, didn’t really have a close enough relationship with her daughter to be the bearer of bad news. Her nanny would just start to cry before she could say anything coherent. 

She was pretty sure Little Lord Glenn knew what has happened as well but he had never been close to the queen, unlike his little sister, so it would stand to reason that they won’t talk about it.

And Katherine… 

“You should be careful when you go to Fhirdiad, Little Lady.” She warned, leaning back as she stared at the courtyard overlooking the balcony. 

Katherine believed that the little lady should hear such news from her parents, not some random stranger. 

“Why?” Her charge asked, tilting her head as she stared at her governess curiously.

“Why is that?” The older woman instructed, turning to stare at the little girl once more.

“Why is that, Miss Katherine?” She repeated dutifully. 

The dark-haired woman placed her hand on the table and tapped her index finger against the glass lightly as she stared at the curious little girl in front of her.

After a while, she replied as she closed her eyes, “I once knew a girl who did everything she could to be accepted by a father who didn’t want her. She persisted and worked hard but, still, she was thrown away when her half-brother turned out to have a crest.”

All three stared at her as she opened her eyes, staring at her charge as she explained, “Her father is in Fhirdiad now, trying to gain more power by getting close to the royal family.”

“What about the girl?” 

“Hm?” Katherine blinked, surprised by the question.

“What happened to the girl?” Byleth asked, staring at her with big blue eyes. 

The older woman’s lips curved into a mirthless smile as she replied, “She died, alone and unloved, thrown like trash.”

She ignored the crying mother and son behind her charge and stared intently at the Little Lady of Fraldarius as she explained, “There are more nobles like that pitiful girl’s father, circling around the royal family, waiting for their chance, especially now…”

She stopped herself before she could talk about the queen’s fate. Because of her sudden silence, the young girl could ask, “What’s her name?”

“Name?” the older woman repeated, unsure of her question.

“The girl.” The young girl clarified, “What was the girl’s name?”

The dark-haired woman stared at her for a few moments before replying, “Cheryl… Her name was Cheryl.”

“Cheryl.” Byleth repeated before nodding at her governess, “I’ll tell King Lamb about her. King Lamb will help her.”

Her governess’ lips curved into an amused smirk as she asked, “What can a king do for a dead girl?”

Katherine could see the complete trust in her charge’s face and her voice as she replied, “King Lamb would know what to do. I’ll tell him about Cheryl and he’ll punish Cheryl’s father like King Loog did to those bandits.”

And there it was. The blind loyalty and faith of the Fraldarius to House Blaiddyd…

“Very well, Little Lady.” She decided to humor the little girl but her words were soft as she said, “If you wish to tell the king about a dead girl then do so.”

She stood and placed the white napkin on the table next to her untouched tea as she continued, “But do remember that the king is also chained by his duties and responsibility to a kingdom that gives more importance to crest bearers.”

“King Lamb will change it.” Byleth retorted as she stared at the dark-haired woman, her eyes clear as she said, “He told me he’ll change everything.”

**Garland Moon, 1163 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

After her tea party with her governess, the Little Lady of Fraldarius began inviting people to have tea with her. It was usually her nanny or her nanny’s son who she taught the proper tea etiquette as well but sometimes other people would be invited as well.

To make them more comfortable, her nanny would stay in the courtyard with her son instead, having a clear view of the little lady while being far enough to not hear anything. 

Glenn was almost always her tea party partner whenever his afternoon was free which was rare as Glenn had afternoon lessons during Byleth’s afternoon break. She had asked why her governess couldn’t just teach her and Glenn together. Her governess had replied that Glenn’s lessons differ from hers. 

When her brother wasn’t free, she would ask her mother or father for tea but they were both so busy with the added responsibility of being King Regent that they had to decline most of the time. Still, they try to at least have tea with their daughter once a week.

When her family was too busy to have tea with her, the little lady would invite people in Castle Fraldarius, mages, knights and even servants. No one could deny her invitation and she would spend the entire tea party, asking them questions and chatting with them. Sometimes, her tea partner would give her something in exchange for the company. The gardener would give her flowers to place on the table. Some of the knights would visit her during her training and offer techniques or suggestions to her governess which the dark-haired woman will take into consideration while some of the servants would give freshly baked treats to her nanny to give to her during her break or would give the little lady a box of new tea leaves they think she might enjoy. It wasn’t long before the entire castle would anticipate if they would be the one to be invited for afternoon tea. 

During the middle of Garland Moon, the Gautier boys visited Castle Fraldarius together with their mother so that they may celebrate both Byleth and Sylvain’s birthdays together. 

The margravine spent the day helping the duchess with her new responsibilities while Miklan joined Glenn in his daily studies. Sylvain was a bit too young to join Glenn so he spent most of his time with Byleth, listening to her read the “Defender Queen of the Snowy Kingdom” (they finished “Loog and the Maiden of the Wind” a week ago) and listen to the governess’ lessons with her. When she would join Glenn’s daily sword training, Sylvain would stay with his nanny and watch them. Sometimes, he would pick up a stick and try to participate. Most of the time, he would fall and scrape his knees or elbows. When he would be allowed to join them, Miklan would usually hit him too hard or Glenn’s crest would activate accidentally so he usually trained with Byleth instead. 

When Glenn had asked why they don’t heal Sylvain or Miklan’s bruises and scrapes, his instructor informed him that it was a tradition for fighters from Gautier territory to only heal life-threatening or debilitating wounds. Any other wounds, they let them heal naturally. 

Byleth asked her governess if she could learn how to use magic so she could heal Sylvain as she thought it was a stupid tradition and it wasn’t fair that her governess would heal her even when she just received a little scratch but she couldn’t do it for Miklan or Sylvain The older woman replied that it would be part of her studies but only after her governess deemed that her reading and writing comprehension was adequate enough.

It was during one of these afternoon tea parties that Byleth invited Miklan to join her for tea which surprised the older Gautier but he accepted nonetheless. 

It was an awkward tea party as Miklan just stared at the younger girl as she poured him a cup of tea. She had decided to serve Bergamot tea as she remembered that Castle Gautier had Bergamot trees in the castle’s courtyard. When the older Gautier continued to stare at her after she had served him tea, she asked as she tilted her head, “Don’t you like tea?”

“Not really.” Miklan shrugged as he continued to hold his teacup with both hands.

Byleth’s eyes trained on the bandages on his hands. Seeing where she was focused at, Miklan placed his hands on his lap, obscuring them from her view as he looked away.

“Does it hurt?” Byleth asked, placing her own cup and saucer on the table.

“I can handle it.” the older boy replied, making her frown as that didn’t really answer her question but remained quiet. He glanced at her before he explained, “I have to be stronger… better. I don’t have a crest so I have to work harder than… than…” 

Miklan clenched his fists as he whispered instead, “I have to be better.”

“Aren’t you the same?” The red-haired boy asked as he turned to face her, making her blink at the question, “I saw how your instructor teaches you and I tried that one move she taught you yesterday. It was hard to do. I’m pretty sure Glenn can’t do it. And you can already read and write. Glenn can’t even do that yet.”

“I guess.” She replied with a shrug, warming her hands by placing it over her tea cup, “Miss Katherine said her lessons are made especially for me.”

“Because you’re like me.” He added with a nod, his light brown eyes staring at her intently as he explained, anger and bitterness lacing his words, “Because we’re crestless we have to train harder than Sylvain and Glenn. Because the Goddess didn’t bless us with a crest, we’re stuck being second to them. We train and train so we can be better than them but we can never be better…”

“No.” Byleth interrupted him, staring at the older boy as she corrected, “I’m not doing my best to be better than Sylvain or Wen. I’m doing my best because I’m a Fraldarius.”

“I don’t have a Fraldarius crest but I’m still a Fraldarius.” Byleth announced with determined eyes, “I’ll make everyone see that.” 

“What about you, Miklan?” She asked, staring at Miklan.

“Me?” He sounded surprised by the question.

“Are you really doing your best because you want to be better than Wen and Sylvain? Or is there something else?” She asked, making him lower his eyes towards the teacup in front of him.

“I…” He stopped as no words came after that one word. He gripped the teacup tightly as he replied, “I’m a Gautier.”

“Yes, you are.” She agreed with a nod.

Miklan’s eyes darkened as he continued, “We need to be the best. Stronger, faster, smarter… If we’re not…”

He raised his head to stare at her as he said, “People die.”

He stood suddenly, making his chair fall to the floor. He glared at her as he announced, “That’s why… I have to be better than Sylvain and Glenn.”

His glare intensified as he added, “I have to be better than you.”

With that said, Miklan left the balcony silently, closing the door behind him loudly.

Her nanny and Elster walked towards her to see if she was alright. She simply smiled at them and told them she was alright before asking them if they would like to join her for tea instead as Miklan didn’t even finish his tea.

Later, she would ask her governess if Miklan hated her as she accompanied her to the library in Castle Fraldarius, knowing that the dark-haired woman would not lie to her to protect her feelings. The older woman stared at her for a few moments before replying, “Perhaps. Or perhaps he hates what he sees.”

“What he sees?” She repeated, tilting her head as she stared at her governess.

“A life that could have been his.” Katherine replied as she handed the book she had taken from the shelf in front of her to her charge, “Both born without a crest yet treated differently.”

She shrugged as she added, “Not that it’s surprising. House Gautier is a house born of war and battles. Every member of that house is pressured to be the best.”

“Or people die.” Byleth repeated Miklan’s words, making her governess nod.

“That’s right.” The dark-haired woman began to walk out of the library and her charge followed her, making sure to walk beside her as she had been instructed (“walk behind if they are of higher standing than you but next to them if they are of the same standing or lower standing than you”), “On the other hand, House Fraldarius is a house born to protect and serve House Blaiddyd. They are warriors, yes, but not to the extent of House Gautier. House Gautier fights to survive while House Fraldarius fights so that House Blaiddyd might survive.”

“But doesn’t that mean it doesn’t matter if he has a crest?” Byleth asked as she kept her eyes ahead so she wouldn’t trip.

Katherine stopped and turned to face the little girl as she asked, “What do you mean?”

“I think even if he did have a crest, he’d still have to do his best.” She explained to her governess, frowning slightly as she added, “Sylvain is doing his best too so…”

The dark-haired woman hummed as she crossed her arms before saying, “That’s true. Regardless if he has a crest or not, he would still have to show that he’s the best as a member of House Gautier. The same can be said to you. Even without a crest, you are part of House Fraldarius and, as such, you must act accordingly so that you will not bring shame to the Fraldarius name.”

“Then why is it always about crests with him?” The little girl asked with a frown.

“Because, Little Lady, that’s what the kingdom highly values.” Her governess replied patiently, “A crest of Gautier is needed to wield the relic that protects us from Sreng. A crest of Blaiddyd is needed to show that they are our rightful ruler. And even during King Loog’s quest for independence, it was the crest bearers and their House’s relic that kept the mighty empire at bay.”

“As far as the people of Faerghus is concerned, the crest is a symbol of power and authority.” With that said, the dark-haired woman began to walk once more.

“So those without a crest are weak?” Byleth asked as she followed the older woman, keeping a tight hold on the book in her arms.

“That’s right.” Katherine replied with a nod, “To the eyes of most people, those with a crest will always be someone better than them. A crestless member of a noble family would live their entire life overshadowed by their crest bearing sibling or relative. No matter how hard they try, no matter how much they sacrifice, it will always pale in comparison to what a crest bearer could achieve.”

Byleth stopped and stared at the dark-haired woman with wide eyes. She stopped and turned around to look back at her charge as the little girl asked, “Will Miklan end up like Cheryl?”

She didn’t answer her immediately. Instead, she turned to look at the window, watching the clouds slowly pass by as she replied, “Who knows? There are many reasons why that girl died.” 

“Yes, it’s true that her father was a monster wearing human skin, the worst kind of noble there is, but it was also true that she had no one on her side.” She closed her eyes as she continued, “She had friends, yes, but she wasn’t close to any of them. When she was thrown away, she had no one to turn to nor were there anyone who tried to help her.”

She opened her eyes and turned to face Byleth as she continued, “We can’t truly know if that boy will suffer the same fate. For one, his parents are not the same as that monster, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Mmhm.” The little girl nodded, remembering how the margravine had a pretty smile and did her best to help her mother while the margrave would always give her a sweet treat secretly, winking at her as he smiled mischievously, much to her father’s exasperation. 

“And he has people on his side, correct?” The older woman asked next, making her charge nod once more. Sylvain loved his older brother and both her and Glenn were his friends.

“Then he should not suffer the same fate as that girl.” Her governess said, making the little girl smile as she believed the older woman’s words. 

**Verdant Rain Moon, 1163 - Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, Castle Blaiddyd**

On the first week of the Verdant Rain Moon, a mage by the name of Cornelia Arnim came to Faerghus from the south. She had been a colleague of one of the teachers in the School of Sorcery and came to offer assistance after receiving a letter from said colleague.

When she got to Fhirdiad, her colleague had already succumbed to the plague. She took over her colleague’s works and implemented a magical theory that was being used by the mages from the Ochs territory of the Adrestian Empire. Many other mages worked under her in hopes that this new magical theory could be the key to finally riding the plague surrounding Faerghus.

On the final week of the Verdant Rain Moon, Cornelia Arnim gave the experimental elixir created by her and the other mages who had worked under her to an infected old man staying in Griffon Tower and was predicted to die in the next two days under the watchful eyes of Doctor Abraham Gauis and the healers of Castle Blaiddyd.

The old man was kept under constant observation in a separate room for the next five days. On the fifth day, Doctor Abraham Gauis confirmed that he was no longer infected and was now recovering from the side effects of the plague.

Wanting to make sure that the elixir was truly working, it was administered to everyone in the last stage of the plague and were supposed to die in the next three days.

Five days have passed and they were still alive. They were also slowly regaining their strength and recovering from the side effects. 

By that time, the old man that was first administered the elixir had completely healed and was strong enough to return to his home.

Receiving the official report of the court doctor, King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd ordered the immediate mass-production of the elixir and for it to be transported to all parts of Faerghus as soon as possible. Everyone in the School of Sorcery participated in the mass production and the healers and the mages of Castle Blaiddyd also joined to help. Even members of House Egrette and Count Leonardo Cael Gellum joined the production of the elixir. Theodore Schwarzen used his position as the head of Fhirdiad’s Merchant Guild to have the elixir be transported quickly and efficiently by the merchants under his guild.

By the middle of Horsebow Moon, the elixir has been distributed to all the southern and central territories of Faerghus, including the territory of Galatea where it was administered to Countess Sigrun Emilia Galatea who had been afflicted with the plague while pregnant with her third child. 

On the thirtieth day of the Horsebow Moon, King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd announced that the plague has been completed eradicated. As a reward for saving Faerghus, the king declared Cornelia Arnim as the new court mage, working in direct service of the royal family and a member of the royal court, taking over the previous court mage that had succumbed to the plague last year.

The borders between the northern kingdom territories and the rest of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus was officially opened on the fifteenth day of the Wyvern Moon. 

Duke Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius would later journey to Fhirdiad together with his two children, Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius and Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, to official relinquish his powers as King Regent to the rightful king.

**Wyvern Moon, 1163 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Blaiddyd**

The journey to Fhirdiad was an uninteresting (and, frankly, boring) affair. She and Glenn left with their father together with their nannies and a few Fraldarius knights. Her governess had stayed in Castle Fraldarius with Elster who had cried because he didn’t want to be separated from his mother and was still scared of the dark-haired woman. It didn’t really help that Katherine had told them that she will use the time to actually teach Elster something which made the boy much more frightened. Byleth promised to bring him back sweets from Fhirdiad which calmed the boy as he had quite a sweet tooth (which worried his mother). 

Her mother stayed as well to take over the duke’s duties while he was away. It was also because she was already long overdue and everyone feared she might give birth on the way to Fhirdiad. Both Glenn and Byleth were excited to meet their little sibling and made her promise not to give birth until they come back, to which the countess agreed to with a small smile.

When they had reached the border, one of the king’s Lionguards was waiting for them with a battalion of knights from the Grand Knight Order of Fhirdiad. 

The Lionguard cheerfully greeted the duke and Rodrigue called him Donovan which made the Lionguard grin at him before informing them that he had been sent to escort the Fraldarius company to Fhirdiad himself. 

Byleth invited him to their carriage for her daily afternoon tea party which she had inside the carriage. It was usually just her, Glenn and their nannies but sometimes she could get their father or one of the Fraldarius knights to join them. The Lionguard happily accepted, ordering the Chevalier Lieutenant Corporal of their battalion to take over while he has tea. The knight just sighed and nodded, obviously used to the nonchalant attitude of a supposed elite knight.

The makeshift table inside the carriage made everything rattle slightly due to the carriage’s movements but no one paid attention to it. Instead, both Fraldarius children spent the entire tea party listening to the cheerful Lionguard tell stories about his adventures protecting the king.

… which included an assassination attempt that devolved into a chase between the assassin, a king with a hero relic wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms and the king’s said Lionguards chasing after their liege instead of the assassin all over Castle Blaiddyd in the middle of Faerghus’ winter night.

Rodrigue heard the story because the cheerful Lionguard had a big voice and an even louder laugh. He was sure that everyone in their company could hear the king’s supposedly elite knight. He could only sigh and shake his head. 

While it was normal for Lionguards to not talk about their life before swearing their service to a member of House Blaiddyd (no one actually knows who Korre and Ulrich were before becoming Lionguards and all they knew about Colette was she was born somewhere in Gaspard territory), Rodrigue actually knew Donovan personally. Donovan had been a student in the Officer’s Academy together with Rodrigue and Lambert. The funny thing was that he had been a Golden Deer student that Lambert had poached during his time as Blue Lion’s house leader (Lambert held the highest poached student count by the end of the year, getting ten Golden Deer students and six Black Eagle students to transfer to Blue Lion). Donovan became one of Lambert’s most loyal housemates by the end of the year and was one of the few students to pass the Holy Knight certification (Rodrigue was pretty sure Lambert had been the one to sponsor him as Master Seals were expensive and hard to come by). He had returned to Fhirdiad with Lambert and immediately became the then crown prince’s Lionguard. Before Donovan, the Lionguard who had guarded Lambert since he was a child passed away because of old age a year before Lambert and Rodrigue enrolled in the Officer’s Academy. 

By the time they had reached Fhirdiad, the celebration of the End of the War of the Eagle and Lion was already on its way. Merry music coming from different street performers accompanied their arrival. Glenn sat with his father while Byleth sat in front of the Lionguard accompanying them, seeing Fhirdiad’s festivity for the first time. People showered the street with petals and flowers thrown from their windows and children played on the street, wearing lion masks and chasing after adults who were wearing an eagle mask.

The Lionguard explained to Byleth many things about the festivity as they passed them. The people wearing an eagle mask were actually squires or newly dubbed knights from the Grand Knight Order. The children chasing after the eagle masked knights would receive rock candies once they catch them and the first child to catch the eagle masked knight would receive the mask as a reward. Whoever presented the most eagle mask to the stage that was set up in Castle Blaiddyd’s courtyard later that night would be presented with a paper crown and be declared as King of the Lions of that year’s festivity. The petals that the people threw out of the window was supposed to represent the rain that fell the day Loog and his army fought the imperial troops in Tailtean Plains. 

A man handed a small wooden cup to Byleth who accepted it. It smelled herbal and sweet but it was taken immediately from her hands by the Lionguard who drank it straight up and threw the cup to the ground, making the man and his merry friends cheer at the Lionguard before returning to one of the stands where there was a woman dancing on the table while a man handed the same wooden cups to passers by. 

Hearing the cheers, Rodrigue turned towards them and glared at Donovan who immediately defended himself, “The Little Lady didn’t drink it, I did!”

“Don’t drink while we’re riding, Donovan.” Rodrigue chided with a roll of his eyes. 

“Sorry!” The Lionguard chuckled and grinned at the little girl riding with him as she looked at him with curious eyes, “That was booze, Little Lady. You’re too young to drink that yet.”

She frowned, remembering how the alcoholic drinks her father drinks smelled as she said, “But it smells sweet.”

“Ah.” He chuckled before explaining, “Well, that’s because it’s been mixed with sweet tea and slices of fresh fruits. That’s probably what you’re smelling.”

Byleth pouted at that explanation, making the knight chuckle. He grabbed one of the flowers being thrown from the windows and handed it to the little girl as he bowed, “Please accept my humble apology, Lady Byleth.”

The girl accepted the flower and placed it behind her ear before pointing at the couples dancing in one of the streets to their right, “What about them?”

The knight continued to explain the other attractions and one of them was the merry dancing in the streets. (“Oh, they’re just dancing. There’s really no meaning attached to it… … Well, they’re probably drunk already.”)

When the gates of Castle Blaiddyd opened, Byleth’s face brightened as she saw King Lambert standing just a few feet away with a few other people she didn’t know while the Lionguards stayed a few feet behind them. Next to him was a young lady holding a baby in her arms. She clicked at the horse, remembering that was how her father made his go faster. The horse surprisingly understood the command and began to gallop towards the king, making Donovan yelp. Some of the people with the king backed away but the knight managed to stop the horse right in front of the king before it could actually hit someone. 

Byleth smiled at the king and outstretched her hands as she greeted, “King Lamb!”

Lambert’s lips curved into a grin and he walked towards the smiling girl, taking her into his arms, letting her rest on his forearm as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He closed his eyes and placed a soft kiss on her temple before whispering, “Welcome to Fhirdiad, my dear Byleth.” 

She leaned on the man’s warmth and smiled. While the rest of her company stopped at a respectable distance and dismounted, the king walked towards his son and gently said, “Look, Dimitri. Say hi to Byleth.”

The baby in the woman’s arms waved at her and she reached out her hands towards him. Lambert leaned forward and she wrapped her arms around Dimitri as she whispered, “Hello, Dima.”

At the sound of his late wife’s nickname for their child, the king’s lips curved into a small sad smile as he watched the two. Dimitri wrapped his arms around her as well and tried to jump off his nanny’s grip, making the poor woman gasp as she tried to maintain her hold on her charge. The king chuckled and said, “Let’s put them both down.”

“Ye-yes, your majesty.” Dimitri’s nanny mumbled and they both knelt, slowly placing the two children on the ground.

While the king was busy with the two children, Rodrigue walked towards the rest of the king’s entourage and nodded at the red-haired noble wearing a dark blue coat with black fur on the left side as he greeted, “Duke Egrette.” 

To the blond-haired noble wearing a dark green coat with gold accents and purple sleek scarf he nodded as he greeted, “Duke Weissvogel.”

“Count Gellum.” Rodrigue greeted the noble with strawberry blond hair wearing a simple dark red coat. 

He nodded at the scruffy-looking dirty blond-haired noble wearing a sleeveless black coat over a long sleeved off-white hooded shirt with a nod, “Marquis Cynewig.”

The four nobles were the head of the Four Great Noble Houses of Fhirdiad and members of the royal court. They held lands in Blaiddyd territory but they mostly stayed in Fhirdiad and manage different parts of the capital city under the name of House Blaiddyd. 

“Duke Fraldarius, welcome back to Fhirdiad.” Duke Egrette greeted back, as Rodrigue had expected. While the four great noble houses of Fhirdiad were independent from one another, House Egrette was usually the spokesperson for the four houses. From behind the duke, he saw the marquis take out a flask and drink nonchalantly from it, making Count Gellum frown at him while Duke Weissvogel shook his head silently. Rodrigue glanced at the king and saw that Glenn was with them now, both of his children holding one of the crown prince’s hands as they tried to teach the baby to walk. The baby managed to take a few steps before wobbling dangerously. His father immediately scooped him into his arms and took Byleth’s hand instead. The little girl grabbed her brother’s hand and followed the king.

They all bowed at the king as he approached. The king smiled sadly at Rodrigue as he said, “Byleth wishes to see Cardia.”

Rodrigue straightened at that, his eyes wide as he stared at his liege. Seeing the cheerful smile on his daughter’s face, he was just about to apologize but Duke Egrette beat him to it, “Pardon me, sire, but we have more pressing things to take care of before anything else.”

“Yes, yes. That.” Lambert sighed and turned towards Rodrigue as he asked quickly, “Duke Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, do you relinquish your title of King Regent of the Northern Territories of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and reaffirm your fealty to House Blaiddyd, the true rulers of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus?”

The duke of House Fraldarius knelt before his king on one knee and placed his right hand on his chest. He bowed as he declared, “I, Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, relinquish my title as King Regent of the Northern Territories of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and hereby reaffirm my fealty to House Blaiddyd. My sword and shield are yours to command, my king.”

“Rise, Rodrigue.” Lambert ordered nonchalantly before turning to look at the four nobles as he asked with a raised eyebrow, “Is that to your satisfaction?”

Duke Egrette’s lips curled into a slight frown while Marquis Cynewig covered his mouth as he snickered. Count Gellum remained quiet while Duke Weissvogel bowed as he replied for the four nobles, “Yes, your majesty. We stand here as witnesses. We will send messengers to announce this to the other territories tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Duke Weissvogel.” The king nodded at the blond noble before turning towards Rodrigue, “Shall we go?”

“Sire…” Rodrigue stopped when Lambert shook his head before he turned towards the young girl watching them.

“Let’s go see Cardia, Byleth.” The king said softly with a sad smile as the girl nodded eagerly, smiling back at him.

Her father could only follow them quietly as they walked towards the castle while the four nobles bow at their king as he left. The children’s nannies and the Lionguards followed them as the king led them to Winter’s Keep, a fortified tower in the middle of Castle Blaiddyd. 

Before they could enter, Lambert turned towards the children’s nannies and ordered his son’s nanny, “Take them to Dimitri’s room. We’ll come there after our visit to Cardia.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Dimitri’s nanny bowed before turning towards the other two, “This way please.”

Both nannies turned towards the duke who nodded at them. Hunydd smiled at her charge who smiled back and waved before following the other nannies. Once they had left, Lambert turned around and walked inside. Inside the keep was an imperial staircase that leads to the west and east wing. Underneath the imperial staircase was a large circular platform that was elevated by two inches. A statue of a knight holding a crystal orb in their hands was in the middle of this elevated platform. The king waited until everyone was on the elevated platform and the Lionguards stood in a circle around the elevated platform, a foot away from the edge. The king placed his hand over the orb, making it shine as the crest of Blaiddyd appeared inside the orb. The floor underneath them shone as the Blaiddyd crest appeared. A rumbling sound came from underneath them before the elevated platform started to descend. 

Lambert knelt between the Fraldarius siblings on one knee, sitting his son on his knee, and pointed at one of the walls as symbols of light glowed before quickly disappearing as he whispered, “See those symbols?”

Both Fraldarius children nodded, watching the glowing symbols as the king explained, “My father once told me that they’re words of an ancient language used by the goddess herself.”

“Wow.” Glenn whispered as he stared at the glowing words with an open mouth. Dimitri outstretched his arms towards Byleth who stepped towards him, letting the baby lean his head on her chest as she wrapped her arms around him.

Byleth tilted her head as she read some of the glowing words but they sounded like gibberish to her so she kept quiet.

One of them was a repeating gibberish she read as ‘Codladh anois, mo Areadbhar lomhar’ so she pointed at that as she asked the blond man behind them, “What does that mean?”

The older man shook his head as he replied, “Nobody knows anymore. No one in Fodlan remembers the ancient language.” 

She pursed her lips and leaned her back against the king, watching the glowing gibberish as they continued to descend. 

Once the elevated platform reached the floor below, Lambert led them to a long dark hallway lit by strange soft glowing blue lines on the walls as he continued to hold his son in his arms (who had grumbled at being pulled away from Byleth). The left and right walls were decorated by huge statues on one knee, wielding a strange disjointed vertical shield on its left hand and a giant katar on its right hand. They look like knights with heavy armor and a strange etched symbol on its chest. 

At the end of the hallway was a large room with statues lined up in three rows, lit by torches on the walls. Underneath each statue was a tomb. In the center of the room was stairs leading to a statue of a man riding a griffon.

The blond man led them one of the statues on the left side and Byleth tilted her head as she recognized the statue as Cardia. 

The king’s voice was soft and loving as he said to the empty tomb, “Cardia, my love, Byleth is here to see you.”

He lowered his eyes towards the little girl and urged softly, “Go on, Byleth. Say hello to Cardia.”

Byleth’s brows furrowed as she stared at the older man, not understanding why he looked so sad. She tilted her head as she asked, “Where’s Cardia?”

“Forgive me, Lambert.” Rodrigue whispered from behind them as he explained sadly, “We never told Byleth that the queen has passed.”

“Passed?” Byleth repeated, turning towards her father, “Where did she pass to?”

“Byleth…” Rodrigue looked at his daughter sadly as he explained, “The queen… she’s no longer in this world.”

“Where did she go?” Byleth asked with a frown, “Can I go see her?”

Both older men seemed lost at words at her question.

“By.” Glenn gently pulled her sister’s hand, making her turn towards him. He looked at her directly in the eyes as he explained to her how it had been explained to him a few months ago, “The queen is dead. She got sick and died before they could cure her.”

“Cardia’s dead?” She asked, her grip on both her brother and the king tightening as her lips trembled. Her brother nodded and she turned towards the king. She let go of her brother’s hand and used both of her hands to grab Lambert’s hand, “I can’t see her anymore?”

Lambert knelt in front of her as he softly said, “No, we can’t see her anymore.”

“But-but-” Her eyes began to glisten as she said, “We promised to have tea when I get here. Cardia said we can have tea with Dima here. And-and she said you’ll have tea with us too.”

Lambert closed his eyes as tears fell at the same time her own tears fell from her eyes. She stepped towards the king and said, “I promised that I would practice having tea every day so I can serve the tea next time we meet. I practiced really hard. Miss Katherine even helped me practice.”

“Byleth-” Rodrigue took a step forward to stop his daughter but Lambert pulled her towards him, crashing her small body into the left side of her chest.

He tightened his embrace on both her and his son as he whispered to both of them, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t save her. I’m sorry I was too weak to stop them.”

“Lambert…” His oldest friend could only stare, frozen in his place just like his son.

The little girl in his arms cried as she rested her head on the king’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around him and his son. Hearing her cry, Dimitri also started to cry. She gripped his cloak tightly as she wept, “I wanna see Cardia!”

Lambert could only close his eyes as he whispered as tears continue to fall from his eyes, “I know. I want to see her too.”

**Wyvern Moon, 1163 - Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Castle Blaiddyd**

They had remained in the crypt until Byleth had fallen asleep, tired from all the crying. The king shook his head when Rodrigue tried to take his daughter away, holding her in his left arm while he held his son in his right. Glenn followed the king as they walked out of the crypt by ascending the stairs on the other end of the great room. The stairs led to House Gellum’s mausoleum which was located inside Castle Blaiddyd as well and they left using the mausoleum’s entrance. 

They went to Lambert’s private quarters instead and had Colette tell the children’s nannies that their services will not be needed for now while Donovan and Katya went to the royal kitchen to get food for both the king and the duke. Lambert placed his son and the duke’s daughter on his bed and Glenn lay down next to his sleeping sister. Dimitri turned towards Byleth who hummed as she scooted closer before hugging him like how she would hug Sir Loog. Glenn hugged her sister from behind and fell asleep as well. 

Rodrigue watched his liege smile at the sleeping children, kissing his son’s forehead before gently caressing Byleth’s and Glenn’s head. 

Two of his Lionguards stayed by the door while one stayed by the glass door leading to the balcony. The crown prince’s Lionguard returned first and stayed on the other side of the glass door. The last two Lionguards returned with a tray filled with food and the sweetened liqueur from the festivities for both the king and the duke while the ones at the door silently walked outside to stand guard outside. The Lionguards placed the plates on the small glass table in the balcony before one stayed behind on the balcony while the other returned inside to stand by the door. Rodrigue followed his liege silently to the balcony and took the seat across him. 

They ate in silence, letting the music from the people of Fhirdiad fill the air.

Once they were done eating, Lambert stood and walked towards the railings as he dragged his chair. He sat on the railing of the balcony, holding his cup of sweetened liqueur as he raised his head to stare at the starry sky. The music grew louder as the celebration has started in the courtyard where the child with the most number of eagle masks taken would have been crowned as the King of the Lions this year. Rodrigue stared at his old friend and contemplated on what to say. He knew his friend long enough to know that he wouldn’t like to talk about what had happened in the crypt so he said instead, “I’m surprised the entire court wasn’t there to meet us.”

Lambert chuckled weakly before lowering his head to stare at his friend as he admitted, “They wanted to but I told them no. I relented to just the four since Egrette wouldn’t shut up.”

The duke sighed as he commented, “That sounds like him.”

Lambert placed his right foot on his chair’s seat as he said, “I hope you meet Theodore before you go. He’s quite an interesting man and he has a few interesting ideas.”

Rodrigue’s lips curved into a slight frown as he asked, “Ideas that the nobles in the court would not approve of?” 

“Perhaps.” The king replied before taking a sip.

The dark-haired man stared at his liege as he asked, “And that woman? Cornelia Arnim, correct? What do we know of her?”

His friend hummed before answering, “She’s quite nice, a bit of a scatterbrain. She also has a habit of bumping into pillars and trees and tripping over nothing.”

“Sounds…” Rodrigue paused as he tried to think of a good word, “interesting…”

The king chuckled as he agreed, “That’s a good way to describe her.”

His tone grew serious as he added, “I have received confirmation of her identity from one of our spies in the empire. She is a mage from Ochs territory, born a commoner and rose to the ranks of the mage sect in Ochs. She’s been in Fhirdiad once about three years ago and stayed for five months before returning to Ochs.”

“And she just happened to agree to become the royal mage?” The duke raised an eyebrow as he asked that question.

Lambert shrugged as he replied, “Apparently, she and the mage sect in Ochs didn’t really see eye-to-eye about some kind of magical theory or another. She’s creating the documents to present that theory to the School of Sorcery. I’ll probably read it sooner or later.”

The duke hummed instead of saying anything. Sensing a lull in their conversation, Lambert asked, “How is Ainara? I heard she’s long overdue.”

“Yes, she is.” Rodrigue frowned and took a swing of his own cup before replying, “The healers have her under observation day and night. They think that Ainara’s condition may have slowed the growth of the baby.”

“That sounds a bit unbelievable.” Lambert commented, moving his wrist in a counter-clockwise movement.

“True but it did take her ten months to give birth to Glenn.” The dark-haired man reminded his friend, making him hum.

“I’ll send Doctor Abraham to Fraldarius once he returned from checking all of the territories in central Faerghus.” Lambert informed him, making Rodrigue bow.

“Thank you, sire.” He said before asking, “Are you sure that the doctor shouldn’t check the southern territories as well?”

Lambert sighed as he admitted with a sardonic smile, “Of course I wanted him to check the southern territories as well but Grand Bishop Damascus has insisted that the Western Church be the one to check those territories. Hard to argue with the grand bishop when your main argument is accusing the church of using the curing of this plague to reaffirm the goddess’ mercy and kindness when it’s due to the hardwork and dedication of our mages and healers.”

Seeing the annoyed frown on his majesty’s face, Rodrigue decided to change the subject by asking, “And Sir Jeralt? Have you received any contact from him?”

Lambert’s shoulders slouched and he sighed in a way that can only be described as forlornly. Had Rufus been here, he would have teased his brother by the way he was acting.

“Sadly, I have not.” The king raised his head to stare at the stars once more as he told his friend, “Ever since the borders between us and Adrestia closed, I haven’t been able to send a letter nor receive any from Sir Jeralt. None of our spies in the empire or in the alliance have any news about him as well.”

He lowered his head and asked his friend, “You were able to send a coded message to him last year before the borders between us and the alliance closed, correct?”

Rodrigue nodded as he said, “I sent a coded message about Enbarr based on the information we received last year, yes. I had the messenger go through Ailell to Daphnel territory. The alliance borders closed soon after that so I can’t be sure if the messenger met up with Sir Jeralt or not. None of our spies in the alliance was able to confirm if the messenger did manage to meet up with Sir Jeralt.”

“I suppose we would just have to wait and see.” Lambert’s left leg began to swing back and forth lightly as he said, “I’m sure Sir Jeralt will send us a letter once the empire or the alliance open up their borders.”

The king’s eyes fell on the sleeping children on the bed and he jumped off the railings. He dragged his chair back to the table and sat on it before asking in a low voice, “How is Byleth? Does anyone have any idea about her crest?”

Rodrigue shook his head as he explained, “We don’t think so. Katherine has been educating her extensively and she is already ahead of her age, maybe even ahead of Glenn’s age. Her crest seem to also give her additional strength but, fortunately, it rarely activates so people assume that it’s due to her training and lessons. Her healing ability seem to be innate though but that’s easily hidden by Katherine casting Heal on her every time she gets hurt, even just for a little scratch.”

“That’s good.” Lambert nodded as he commented, “We must hide her crest for as long as we can. Hopefully, the church will never find out, but if they do, we must be prepared.”

“Yes, sire.” He agreed solemnly.

The king leaned back in his chair and placed his cup on the table as he asked, “And the dreams? Is she still having them?” 

“Every night.” Rodrigue admitted. His daughter never admitted to anybody else but her father and he had informed his liege as soon as he heard about it. He had lied to her and told her that she had dreamed of it because of the stories her nanny and governess were telling her. 

However…

“A great battle between two armies and a woman stabbing a man that wielded a sword that can turn into a whip.” Lambert repeated the summary Rodrigue had given him, “Considering her crest and a sword that can turn into a whip, the dream could easily be the final battle between Saint Seiros and Nemesis.”

Lambert sighed before suggesting, “Perhaps Lady Rhea is trying to resurrect Saint Seiros herself and the dreams are Byleth’s mind trying to process the saint's memories.”

He chuckled softly as he joked, “Or maybe she’s trying to resurrect Nemesis. Byleth does have the crest of the Liberation King.”

“Please do not joke about such a thing.” His friend chided and reminded him, “Nemesis was corrupted by the power the goddess granted him. If the archbishop is trying to resurrect Nemesis using Byleth then she would be in danger.”

“I know.” The king nodded solemnly as he said, “Hopefully it’s nothing that nefarious and Byleth’s mother just happened to be a descendant of Nemesis. History books said he had no children but such information could be redacted. Perhaps the church has been hiding his descendants to protect them from the ire of the people wronged by Nemesis. It would account to why her mother was rarely seen outside the cathedral.” 

“That doesn’t explain the dreams.” The duke reminded him and added, “Especially her other dreams.”

“The dreams she can’t remember?” Lambert asked, frowning at his friend, “Why? Has she remembered any of them?”

“She has.” Rodrigue nodded before he informed his king, “Last year, the day after the queen and the prince left for Fhirdiad-”

He noticed his friend’s eyes darkened at the reminder but he pressed on, “She told me she had a new dream she could remember.”

“She dreamt of a girl sleeping on a throne.” 

**Red Wolf Moon, 1163 - Ainara Violette Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

The Founding Day in Castle Fraldarius was more solemn for this year as everyone remained worried over the fact that the duchess has yet to give birth even though she was months passed the expected time. She had been moved to the healing room in case of emergency but nothing happened after each day, whether good or bad.

Many were worried about what this could mean to both the duchess and the unborn child. Many still believed that this was normal and may be a sign that the child would bear a major crest as some maids overheard the duke talking to one of the Fraldarius knights that came from Charon territory. Apparently, Lady Cassandra Rubens Charon of House Charon was also delivered three months later than normal and she had been confirmed to have a major crest of Charon a few years back. The duke has sent inquiries about it to House Charon and Count Charon had sent their midwife and a few healers to assist in any way they can. The midwife has confirmed that Lady Cassandra was three months late before she had been delivered and had taken over in caring for the pregnant duchess. With the borders to Adestrian Empire still closed, the duke could not ask help from the Crestology Research Facility in Hevring territory. 

Still, the duke took his two children back to the Forest of Silence while the queen remained in the healing room. Her handmaiden Rowena had already prepared an empty vase where they would place the Little Lady’s flowers later on. 

As the duchess was not allowed to leave the healing room, she could no longer join her family for meals but her children would visit her every afternoon for tea. Glenn’s daily schedule had been changed to make sure he would have time to join his mother and sister to tea. Since she spent the afternoon having tea with her mother and brother, Byleth started inviting people to an evening tea party instead. 

The duke tries to join as often as he could as well but his duties to Fraldarius territory and as the kingdom’s representative in their negotiation with the Leicester Alliance to reopen the borders were still taking too much of his time.

Until the duke’s brother came into Castle Fraldarius to support him the week before Founding Day, setting the castle in a frenzy. Luciano Hektor Fraldarius hasn’t set foot in Castle Fraldarius since their father had died and it was well known that the duke and his brother had a distant relationship ever since their father had humiliated Luciano when the boy had been fourteen in broad daylight for not being able to to kill his first winter wolf with a sword, calling him a disgrace to the Fraldarius name and how the goddess had blessed them for having Rodrigue bear the crest of Fraldarius. Luciano left Castle Fraldarius that very same day and stayed with House Gautier, only returning to Fraldarius territory when their father had died and he had been left with a land title in northern Fraldarius.

The appearance of the duke’s crestless brother made everyone in the castle watch the ruling family closely. Everyone knew that the duke’s brother would always stay and watch the training of his niece and nephew. He made no comments when it concerned the swordsmanship of either of the children but he gave helpful tips on Glenn’s form when the boy was being instructed in hand to hand combat and he had given a long piece of stick to his niece, instructing her in basic lance forms and techniques that the knights recognized as of Gautier origin. Luciano was distant but polite to his brother, he visited Ainara almost every morning to ask how she was doing and he was kind to both children, although he seemed to be averse in touching either of them. He never participated in any of their meals, prefering to eat alone in his room but he always accepted his niece’s evening tea party invitation. 

Ever since Luciano had stayed in the castle, he had taken over the daily duties of his brother so that Rodrigue could focus on negotiating with the alliance and have time to join his family in their afternoon tea.

Luciano had also accompanied them to the Forest of Silence for this year together with the duke’s children.

It was during the time that her daughter was cheerfully telling her how her uncle had taught her and Glenn to make flower crowns that she noticed that the girl’s hair was becoming longer and a bit unruly. Ainara caressed her head, making her daughter stop and tilt her head. She smiled softly and said, “Sit in front of me for a bit, Byleth.”

The girl obediently crawled onto the bed and sat in front of her mother. Ainara gently turned her so her back was facing the older woman. She combed her daughter’s hair with her hands while her handmaiden panicked a bit as she hurriedly looked for the brush and handed it to her mistress. The duchess quietly took the brush and used it to comb Byleth’s hair. Rowena handed her a white ribbon and the fair-haired woman used it to tie the half bun she made. 

“There.” The duchess said softly and her handmaiden showed the little lady a mirror that reflected both of them. 

Byleth’s entire face brightened and she turned towards her mother as she said, “We match, mother!”

Ainara was surprised by her words. She looked at the mirror and realized that her handmaiden had also tied her hair into a half-bun for today. She chuckled softly as she said, “Yes, I supposed we do, don’t we.”

A week after the Founding Day, the entire castle realized that the duchess and the little lady kept their hair into a half-bun every day. 

**Guardian Moon, 1163 - Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Castle Galatea**

It was with a heavy heart that Rodrigue left Castle Fraldarius to his brother and his wife. However, he knew that he needed to visit Sigurn to make sure she was alright. 

She had given birth to a healthy daughter but he heard there had been complications due to both the extensive labor and the remaining weakness from recovering from the plague. 

He had taken both of his children and had traveled to Castle Galatea together with Ruger and his two sons. Lambert has also managed to visit their childhood friend with his son as they have planned.

The baby’s nursery was quite a cheerful scene to watch. Alfin, the oldest son of Sigurn, held his baby sister in his arms while the other children cooed and poked her. Thankfully, the newborn baby wasn’t a crier and accepted the poking with a frown. Joachim’s mother came in with a tray of freshly made cookies that the children happily devoured while talking with one another about different topics. Sylvain had gone with the count’s mother to ask for more cookies while Glenn and Miklan asked Alfin how his training was going, curious how different it was for someone older than them, while the younger Galatea boy just played with his little sister, poking her cheek just to see her scrunch her face.

Ruger had left with Joachim, most probably getting the poor man drunk so the usually reserved man could let out his frustrations and pain over what has happened in the past few years since the start of the isolation of the northern territories.

His daughter was with the other children a while back, patting the baby’s fuzzy blond hair but she had left with the king and the prince when Lambert decided to walk Dimitri.

On his way to find Sigurn, he saw her and the king by the courtyard. The king had a flower crown on his head, most definitely created by the little girl who had learned it from her uncle a few months ago. She was making another flower crown while the prince sat on his father’s lap, touching the unfinished crown in her hands. 

He heard her ask the king, “Are you still sad, King Lamb?”

The king closed his eyes as he replied softly, caressing his son’s head, “Yes… but it’s getting better as the days passed by.”

She raised her head and asked, “Do you miss her?”

“Every day.” Lambert replied softly as he opened his eyes to smile at her.

Byleth let go of the unfinished flower crown and hugged both him and Dimitri as she whispered, “I miss her every day too.” 

Rodrigue left the courtyard without announcing his presence once he saw his friend hug the little girl back. None of the Lionguards silently standing guard stopped him.

He eventually found Sigurn in the training hall wearing only a long-sleeved white shirt and brown trousers. She held a wooden stick in her hands which she repeatedly thrust in front of her.

Rodrigue stayed by the edge of the arena as he asked, “Should you be doing that right now? You’ve just given birth.”

She didn’t look at him as she replied, “I feel fine.”

He sighed before telling her, “Just because you feel fine doesn’t mean you are fine.”

She finally turned towards him and placed the tip of the wooden stick on the ground as she asked, “Care for a spar then? Land a hit and I’ll stop.”

He frowned at those words and saw the fury she was trying to suppress in her eyes. He took off his cloak and his coat, facing his childhood friend in a white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers. He silently walked towards the weapon rack and picked up a wooden sword before walking towards the arena. He stopped a few feet away from her chosen weapon’s range and readied himself. Sigurn took on an offense stance, so very unlike her, and charged him.

He crouched to evade her horizontal swipe aimed at his arms before slashing her outstretched arm. She quickly stepped back, twirling her wooden stick to parry his attack. Rodrigue staggered and was forced to take a few steps back which she used to her advantage, going on her knees and slamming her weapon against Rodrigue’s right calf. He blocked her attack by quickly thrusting his wooden sword to the ground, hitting the stick itself. His crest activated at that time and his attack split both of their weapons in half. The broken staff hit his calf while a piece of his wooden sword smack her on the forehead.

They stared at each other silently for a few seconds.

Then Sigurn burst out laughing.

A second later, Rodrigue joined her.

They both lie down on the ground as they continued to laugh, staring at the passing clouds in the sky. Sigurn was the first to speak, “Oh, goddess, that reminded me of when we were kids and Lambert couldn’t control his strength yet.” 

Rodrigue chuckled softly before he agreed, “I’m sure Lambert would have enjoyed seeing that. He’ll say it was karma from all our teasing.”

“Yeah, he would.” She replied softly before she sighed, “Sometimes, I wished we could return to those days when we were free of all these burdens and the most worrying thing we had to think of is when our parents will come to take us back home.”

He turned to stare at her but remained quiet, knowing that saying anything now will only make her stop. 

She closed her eyes as she confessed, “I can’t have any more children.”

His eyes widened as she took a deep breath. She opened her eyes as she continued, “The healers think it’s because of the plague. They assure me that Ingrid is alright though.”

“But…” She turned to look at her childhood friend and whispered as tears fell from her eyes, “If Ingrid doesn’t have a crest, House Galatea is done for.”

“Sigurn…” He finally whispered, watching the older woman cry. She turned away from Rodrigue and covered her face with both of her hands as she continued to cry. He held her from behind and whispered, “We won’t let House Galatea die.”

She sat up, pulling away from his embrace as she shouted, “What can we do?! Without a crest bearer, House Daphnel will be able to request the return of Luin once I am dead! Without Luin… without a crest bearer… House Galatea would have nothing to offer Faerghus! The other nobles could ask for Lambert to rescind our nobility on the accounts that we’re originally from the alliance! If enough of them asked, he would have no choice but to agree to it!”

“They can destroy House Galatea! And my children… my people…” Sigurn sobbed uncontrollably as she pressed both of her hands on her stomach. 

He took her in his arms, holding her tightly as she cried. He closed his eyes as he whispered, “I’ll ask Ainara to agree in betrothing Glenn to Ingrid. He might not have a crest of Daphnel but he is still a crest bearer. If he marries into House Galatea, the other nobles would not be able to ask Lambert to rescind House Galatea’s nobility even if Ingrid will be declared crestless. House Daphnel may be able to get Luin back but I can give the Sword of Moralta to Glenn. It may not be a hero’s relic like Luin but it is still a sacred weapon that Glenn can use to protect Galatea.”

Sigurn’s eyes widened at those words, “But… Fraldarius…”

“Fraldarius will be fine.” He leaned back to be able to smile at his friend, “If the midwife from Charon is correct, our third child will also have a crest. We’ll be fine.”

He held both of her hands with his as he whispered, “It’s going to be alright, Sigurn. Me, you, Ruger and Lambert. We’ll keep each other safe. We’ll keep our families safe.”

**Pegasus Moon, 1163 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

Doctor Abraham Gauis finally managed to arrive in Castle Fraldarius on the eighteenth day of Pegasus Moon. He had a long discussion with the midwife from Charon that lasted for almost a day. The finally agreed to deliver the baby by cutting the duchess’ stomach open.

The duke had wanted to say no but the duchess had agreed to it, knowing that something was wrong. Even if it took longer for a baby with a major crest to be born, this was still too long to be normal.

They decided to have the operation on the nineteenth. 

On the afternoon of the nineteenth, a frantic healer with bloody clothes rushed to Byleth’s room and frantically asked her governess to come with her. 

Byleth followed her governess but she wasn’t allowed inside the healing room. Her nanny tried to take her back to her room but she refused, sitting on the chair across the door leading to the healing room while her nanny sat a few chairs away to keep watch without suffocating the little lady. Elster came a bit later, holding Sir Loog which he gave to her as he whispered, “Sir Loog will keep you and the duchess safe.”

She placed the stuffed lion next to her and held its hand. 

Glenn sat with her a few hours later, holding her other hand as they silently waited. None of the little lord’s instructors could take him away from his sister. 

An hour later, the duke came to take his children away but seeing both of them silently waiting for any news about their mother and their new sibling… 

Rodrigue took Glenn in his arms and sat on the chair the boy he had been occupying. He placed Glenn on his right leg before lifting Byleth who held unto Sir Loog and placing her on his left leg while the stuffed lion sat on her lap. He held both of his children tightly as they rested their heads on his shoulders while they held each other’s hand. 

The duke and his children remained sitting across the healing room while the duke’s brother ordered that all concerns and issues that needed the duke’s attention be transferred to him for now. 

Two hours before the sun rose on the twentieth day of the Pegasus Moon, Doctor Abraham Gauis exited the healing room and went towards the waiting duke and his two sleeping children.

“How… is she?” Rodrigue asked, fearing the doctor’s answer.

“She’s extremely weak but we believe she will make a complete recovery.” The doctor replied, making Rodrigue sigh in relief.

Their father’s movements woke the two children and Glenn mumbled as he rubbed his eyes, “Baby?”

“A healthy baby boy, little lord.” the old man replied with a soft smile, “You can all see them if you promise to be quiet.”

“Really?!” Glenn asked excitedly, jumping off his father’s lap. He pulled on his sister’s hand and said, “Come on, By!”

Byleth slid off her father’s lap and let her brother drag her into the room, followed closely by their father who whispered to the doctor, “Thank you.”

The doctor simply bowed and watched them enter the room.

Inside the healing room, a few of the healers were sitting on the floor or resting in one of the beds. Byleth saw her governess sitting on the floor while eating an entire cake by herself as she began to nod off. 

Ainara was in the rightmost bed nearest to the door and she looked tired and a bit pale but she smiled at them as they approached her. She patted the space next to her and both children crawled onto her bed. She showed them the small baby in her arms as she whispered, “Glenn, Byleth, say hello to your baby brother, Felix.”

Both children stared at the small baby in their mother’s arms as their father sat next to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

Glenn’s face erupted into a bright open smile as he whispered, “Hi, little brother.”

Byleth reached her hand and caressed Felix’s head as she whispered with a soft smile, “Hello, Felix.” 

**Lone Moon, 1163 - Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, Castle Blaiddyd **

The last night of the Lone Moon was bitter cold. 

Even inside his private chambers with only the light of the moon as his source of light, the cold winds swept inside, eating the warmth of the room.

Not even the warmth brought by the finest liquor from Mateus could warm him.

Or perhaps it was something else entirely?

He didn’t have any time to think about it as he heard the sound of the balcony’s glass door sliding open. He grabbed Areadbhar and turned towards the balcony, about to throw the hero relic at the balcony itself.

Then he saw the world turn as he was suddenly on his back, a hand pressing the wrist that held Areadbhar before he could throw it while a knee pressed against his stomach, forcing him down.

He raised his fist to punch the assassin when he heard his attacker say, “It’s me. Lambert, it’s me!”

It took a moment for Lambert to recognize the man on top of him, “Sir Jeralt?”

“Seven hells.” Jeralt cursed as he stood, “Don’t go throwing that thing at every sound you hear. You might hit someone else.”

The king remained on the floor but let go of his grip on Areadbhar as he asked, “Why’d you come from the balcony?”

The former knight stared at him with crossed arms, raising an eyebrow as he replied, “Because I was trying to make a point.”

“A point?” The younger man repeated, frowning at him.

Jeralt looked around before asking the man still lying on the floor, “Where the hell are your Lionguards? One of them should have been guarding the balcony.”

“Oh.” Lambert blinked, trying to remember where they were. It took a moment before he replied, “I told them to leave for the night.”

“You what?!” The older man yelled at him. He rubbed his face as he placed a hand on his waist while mumbling, “Of all the moronic things you could have done…”

“Come on, get up.” Jeralt ordered with a sigh, “We have things to talk about and I’m not going to talk about them while you’re lying there.”

“Right. Talking.” He repeated with a nod before trying to stand up.

His legs gave out under him and Jeralt had to grab him by the shoulders to keep him upright.

“Lambert, are you okay?” The older man’s voice was full of concern that made him chuckle.

“I’m alright.” He replied before mumbling, “I have to be…”

“Lambert…” Jeralt stared at him as he kept his hands on the younger man’s shoulders, feeling him sway against his hold, “Are you… drunk?”

Lambert blinked at him owlishly for a few moments before saying, “... No?”

Jeralt sighed and shook his head as he mumbled, “You have got to be kidding me.”

“I am perfectly alright and can talk with you.” The king insisted, frowning at the older man. He blinked as he corrected himself, “To you. Talk to you.”

“Oh, are you now?” The former knight snarked, holding up one hand with his three fingers turned upwards, “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Lambert’s eyes narrowed and he leaned forward. A moment later, he grabbed Jeralt’s hand and squeezed each finger before grinning at the man in front of him as he answered, “Three!”

The older man turned his gaze towards the ceiling as he took a deep breath. He lowered his head to stare at the obviously drunk king and said, “Not drunk my ass. We’ll have our talk tomorrow.” 

He pressed the king’s side against his as he guided him to the bed, “Come one, let’s get you to bed.”

Lambert giggled as he leaned into the older man as he said coyly, “My, my, Sir Jeralt. Aren’t we moving too fast?”

Jeralt only rolled his eyes as the king snorted and laughed at his own joke. He dropped the king onto the bed and simply watched him with his arms crossed as the younger man clumsily tried to get inside the covers. Once the king was safely under the covers, he sat on a chair next to the bed, making the king blinked at him, “You’re staying?”

“Have to make sure you’re still alive tomorrow.” Jeralt replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he added, “Because someone decided it would be okay to order his personal guards to take the night off.”

Said someone simply chuckled at those words.

After a few moments of silence, Lambert turned to his side to stare at the man sitting next to his bed. He was silent for a few seconds before he asked, “Do you ever hear her voice?”

Jeralt was surprised by the question and he frowned as he asked, “Who?”

“Byleth’s mother.” the king clarified, “Do you ever hear her whisper to you?”

“No.” Jeralt replied as he shook his head, “Do you?”

“Every night.” Lambert admitted with a soft voice, “Every night, I hear her whisper to me, saying…” 

“It’s your fault I’m dead.”

“It’s your fault our son’s going to grow up without a mother.”

“You’re the king but you couldn’t even keep me safe. You’re nothing but a powerless king.”

“Lambert.” Jeralt grabbed his hand, forcing the man to stop. Lambert blinked, not realizing that he had been slowly losing himself to the hateful words the more he said them out loud. The older man tightened his hold on the younger man’s hand as he said, “I never met the late queen but I’m sure as hell she wouldn’t say anything like that. No one would say such things to the one they love and I’ve heard enough about both of you to know that you both love each other deeply and truly.”

Lambert’s lips curved into a small sad smile as he said, “I know. I know Cardia would never say such things. I know the voice I’m hearing is not her but… but…”

“It’s hard not to listen.” He admitted as he closed his eyes, turning his hand so he could grip the callous hand holding his as well, “I can hear her so clearly at night. The wine… the alcohol helps mute everything.”

“It’s a bad solution.” Jeralt said softly, “I managed to jump you even though you should be stronger than me. Alcohol mutes everything, even the parts that help keeps us alive.”

Lambert chuckled as he said jokingly, “That’s rich coming from you. Everyone knows how much you love to drink.”

“It’s because I have a long deep relationship with drinks that gets me drunk that I know what I’m talking about.” Jeralt sighed and shook his head as he said, “Try to get some sleep. We’ll talk about all this tomorrow.”

“I wish I could.” The king sighed, closing his eyes as he confessed, “I can hear her if things grow quiet.”

“How about I tell you a story then?” The older man suggested.

“A story?” Lambert repeated, opening his eyes to stare at the former knight.

“It’s a cold night. Faerghus tradition dictates someone should tell a story.” Jeralt replied nonchalantly with a shrug, making the king chuckle.

“Very well. Tell me a story, Sir Jeralt.” Lambert asked with a small smile. 

“You heard what they say about the mountains of Gwenhwyvar, right?” Jeralt asked, making the younger man hum.

“Yes, the hidden castle inside one of the mountains.” The king replied.

The former knight leaned back as he started, “Well, the noble family in charge of that castle was a family of Griffon riders. They were descendants of Blaiddyd’s griffon rider battalion, given the order to protect the hidden castle and care for the griffons.”

“Each member of that house was told that they were meant to protect House Blaiddyd, not from Duscur but from the empire and Saint Seiros herself. They were trained to be griffon riders and told that it was their duty to protect House Blaiddyd when the time comes.”

“But the time never came. They lived and died in isolation, waiting for a call from a leader that has forgotten about them. Until finally, only one was left.”

“He left the mountains and came down to Fhirdiad. He met a king who didn’t even know who he was so he became a knight for a different lord. He threw away his lineage and tried to live a life among his people. He refused to bend the knee to a king of a house that has forgotten him so he pledged his allegiance to a witch who had given him a second chance.”

“A witch who betrayed his trust…” Jeralt sighed and leaned on his chair as he continued, “So he ran. He ran and ran until he couldn’t run anymore. He found himself once more in the presence of a king but this king was different. He knew this king and he felt that maybe, just maybe, this king would be worth his loyalty.”

Jeralt turned to look at Lambert as he said, “That maybe this king is the one his house had been waiting for.”

He noticed that the young man was already sound asleep and he chuckled, shaking his head.

He looked at the starry night sky as he whispered, “Rest well, sire.”

* * *

*****Lore and Information For This Chapter*****

**Funeral Customs In Faerghus**

Usually, the body of the deceased would be cleaned and prepared in white clothes before being placed in a glass coffin filled with funeral flowers (see below for the commonly used funeral flowers in Faerghus). They will be placed in a quiet secluded part of the deceased’s home (or a relative’s home) for the next forty days. Each day, the flowers would be changed and a person will always be in the same room as the deceased. It is common at this time for guests to bring food and drinks. Usually, loved ones and friends will spend this time to remember the deceased, focusing on the good memories as alcohol flowed freely. It was common to hear loud drunk singing of the deceased’s favorite songs and over the top dramatic retelling of stories about them. The room the deceased was resting would also be scented by sweet smelling herbs. All the mirrors and windows will be covered during this period due to the superstition that the soul of the deceased may become trap if they see their reflection. Everyone living in the home where the deceased would be staying for the next forty days would also wear black gloves as a sign of mourning. It was also common for women with familial or romantic ties to the deceased to wear a black lace veil during this period. 

On the fortieth day, a bishop from the Church of Seiros would perform the final rites (if the deceased is a member of House Blaiddyd, the archbishop performs the final rites) before they are buried, usually behind the nearest church or in any plot of land that the relatives have decided and owned. Nobles usually own a private piece of land where they bury their deceased, a private mausoleum somewhere in their territory (similar to House Gellum) or a crypt like in Castle Blaiddyd. It was also common to bury the deceased with their most prized possessions and sometimes possessions or paintings of their loved ones. 

It is no longer widely practiced but the bones of a winter wolf or a winter lion would be buried together with the deceased. The animal would be killed the morning the deceased would be buried, skinned by a loved one (usually the spouse or the parents) and the meat would be used as part of the feast to be had after the funeral as a final farewell to the deceased. The bones would then be placed inside the coffin or tomb of the deceased together with the pelt. During the time of the Ancient Wolf Kings, winter wolves were commonly hunted as the bone offering. Once Loog ascended the throne, people hunted winter lions instead. This is no longer commonly practiced as the funeral practices of the Church of Seiros became more common.

It was not common knowledge but the tomb of the hero Blaiddyd in the royal crypt does not house his body. Instead, it houses the bones of a large winter wolf and its pelt together with aconite flowers. No one knows where his body is. 

**Funeral Flowers in Faerghus** (because I am trash for flower language):

White Lily: a symbol of the Church of Seiros, “purity”, “chastity”, “dignity”

White Carnation: “A Pure Deep Love”, “A True Love”, “Eternal Happiness”, “Respect”

Blue Delphinium: “Pure and Clear”, “Your Love Shall Spread”

Statice: “Unchanging Love”, “Final Memory”

(Pink) Statice: “Eternal”

(Yellow) Statice: “The Happiness of Love”, “Sincere” / “Faithful” / “Honest”

**The Meaning of the Flowers In Cardia’s Tomb**

Amaryllis (also known as Knight’s Star Lily): “Pride”, “Radiant Beauty”

Ornithogalum (also known as the Star of Bethlehem): “Pure”, “True”

Aconite: “Chivalry”, “Glory”

Statice: “Unchanging Love”, “Final Memory”

(Pink) Statice: “Eternal”

(Yellow) Statice: “The Happiness of Love”, “Sincere” / “Faithful” / “Honest”

**Aconite and House Blaiddyd**

Aconite is a special flower in Faerghus as it is known to represent House Blaiddyd. Only House Blaiddyd can use Aconite as a funeral flower and Castle Blaiddyd has a flower bed of Aconite in the inner courtyard. Aconite must be handled with extreme care as it is poisonous. It is not that well known but members of House Blaiddyd are actually immune to the poison of aconite but no one knows why that is. The Aconite in Faerghus is usually yellow but the Aconite in Sacred Gwenhwyvar are light green. This light green variant is the one that is being cultivated in Castle Blaiddyd.

(Other names of Aconite includes Blue Rocket, Queen of Poison, Monkshood, Devil’s Helmet, Ratsbane, and Wolfsbane)

**Winter Wolf and Winter Lion**

Both of these animals are native to the cold rugged lands of Faerghus. The winter wolves are known to travel by pack, having fur as white as fresh snow and eyes as green as spring. The alpha can grow as large as a great wolf monster seen everywhere in Fodlan and are dangerous to engage alone as they always travel and hunt as a pack. The winter lion is a white-furred lion with black mane and clear blue eyes. Unlike the winter wolf, the winter lion usually travels and hunts alone, only engaging with other winter lions during mating season. Both of these animals are respected in Faerghus and some noble families (especially in the northern kingdom territories) and hunting families in Faerghus would hunt their first winter wolf or winter lion at the age of fourteen (usually with adult supervision).

**Certification Exams and Seals**

Classes such as “Paladin”, “Assassin”, “Holy Knight”, “Gremory” and the rest are actually titles one can receive by passing a certification exam. To be able to start a certification exam, there are two requirements: a seal pertaining to the level of the title an applicant wishes to take (Intermediate Seal, Master Seal, etc) and to pass the requirement exam. Seals are usually a floating orb encased in a gold spherical cage. The orb inside the cage would either have the coat of arms of the faction (Adrestia, Faerghus or Leicester) that made it or the symbol of the Church of Seiros on it to show the validity of the seal. The gold cage is to ensure there will be no tampering of the symbol. The merchant in Garreg Mach sold seals with the symbol of the Church of Seiros (but will sell seals with Byleth’s chosen faction after the time skip) while Anna’s Master Seals actually do not have any symbol in the orb (since it was war, no one really cared). The Requirement exam is a short exam wherein the applicant must demonstrate that they have the minimum weapon/magic proficiency required for the title. This is usually by demonstrating their skills in said weapon or magic to three known titleholders who will judge the applicant. Once they have passed the requirement exam, they will give the necessary seal to the one who will be overlooking their certification and will have to answer a written exam and duel with the three judges from the requirement exam. The applicant must pass the written exam and best at least two of the judges (draw is considered a win for the applicant). 

Dark Mages/Bishops are different as they do not have a certification exam. Instead, the Dark Seal that Byleth can take/steal from the Dark Knight is actually a small grimoire of Dark Magic Spells. Since there is no official Dark Magic category for Fodlan’s magic, becoming a Dark Mage/Bishop meant studying the grimoire (Dark Seal) and defeating (or getting a draw) two out of three mage or a warlock (not a bishop as Dark Magic has been classed as a type of Reason Magic by the Church) to get an unofficial title. 

**Festival Booze**

The booze that Byleth almost drank is made of Honeyed-Fruit Blend tea and imported Herbal Liqueur from Adrestia. The concoction is placed in a barrel and fresh fruits are dropped inside. It is customary to wait for at least an hour or so before serving it cold. The ratio of tea to liqueur depends on the server but it is considered common for it to be 70% liqueur however some would just make cold Honeyed-Fruit Blend tea and add in a few drops of liqueur or so when it is served (sometimes none). The one that was handed to Byleth most probably was just cold Honeyed-Fruit Blend tea with maybe a drop or two of liqueur. 

For a similar experience, take a pitcher, fill half of it with sweetened tea (this author recommends Nestea Cranberry Red Tea) and the rest with Jagermeister or with whatever ratio of booze to sweetened tea you’d prefer. Add in slices of strawberries (or any fruit of your choice) and serve cold or with ice.

…… Please drink responsibly.

**The Royal Court of Faerghus**

The royal advisors of the ruler of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus stationed in Castle Blaiddyd. They usually meet with the ruler once a week unless there is a pressing topic that needs their constant attention. The Royal Court is composed of the following:

  * The Rulers of the Four Great Noble Houses ruling Blaiddyd Territory, commonly known as the Four Great Noble Houses of Fhirdiad (Positions currently held by Duke Lucis Croire Egrette of House Egrette, Duke Helmuth Breane Weissvogel of House Weissvogel, Count Leonardo Cael Gellum of House Gellum, and Marquis Arnaud Nicolai Cynewig of House Cynewig)
  * The Representative of the Church of Seiros (Position Currently Held By Grand Bishop Gregory Damasus of the Western Church)
  * The Representative of the Southern Kingdom Territories (Position Currently Held By Lord Rupert Philippe Kleiman) 
  * The Representative of the Northern Kingdom Territories (Position Currently Held By Lord Ioan Bellinor Wiverudd) 
  * The Representative of the People (Position Currently Held By Theodore Schwarzen, Head of the Merchant Guild in Fhirdiad), this representative was recently added by King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd 
  * Abraham Gauis, Court Doctor to the Royal Family 
  * Cornelia Arnim, Court Mage to the Royal Family 
  * Gustave Eddie Dominic, First Knight of the King and Chevalier Invaincu of the Grand Knight Order of The Holy Kingdom Of Faerghus

**The Four Great Noble Houses of Fhirdiad**

The 4 main noble houses in Fhirdiad who has sworn fealty to House Blaiddyd. Common folklore states that these four Houses came from the four most loyal knights under the hero Blaiddyd. House Weissvogel is mostly known to take care of daily affairs in the capital while House Gellum is mainly in charge of Castle Blaiddyd and its occupants. On the other hand, House Egrette is known as a supporter of magical advancement and also has a direct link with the School of Sorcery in Fhirdiad while House Cynewig is known to train most of the knights composing Faerghus' Grand Knight Order. House Weissvogel is also one of the few houses that can be confirmed to have Blaiddyd blood in them as records state that one of the hero Blaiddyd’s daughters married into House Weissvogel. As of to this day, House Weissvogel has never produced a child with the Blaiddyd crest which brings the validity of their house’s marriage to the hero Blaiddyd’s daughter into question. 

**Grand Knight Order of The Holy Kingdom Of Faerghus**

The most well known knight order in Faerghus. Their main headquarter is in Fhirdiad, near Castle Blaiddyd. Many aspire to be part of the Grand Knight Order and it is said that they are only second to the Knights of Seiros itself. The Chevalier Invaincu is the head of the Grand Knight Order. Other knight orders also exist in Faerghus, notably the Gautier Knights of House Gautier and the Galatea Pegasus Knights of House Galatea (the Galatea Pegasus Co battalion is made of new recruits of the Galatea Pegasus Knights). 

The hierarchy of the Grand Knight Order mainly composed of ranks with the title ‘Chevalier’ at the start (for example, the highest rank in the Grand Knight Order which also has the power to command any other knight orders in Faerghus is the Chevalier Invaincu). The reason for this has been lost in history but this is actually because of the first knight who pledged loyalty to the hero Blaiddyd was named Chevalier. (the crest of Chevalier is said to be lost in history, with the last bearer of said crest coming from western kingdom territory)

Here’s the hierarchy of the Grand Knight Order which I posted in [twitter](https://twitter.com/AngelInATeecup1/status/1187593886534750208).

In the canon timeline, the Grand Knight Order would later be chained to stay and protect Fhirdiad after the Tragedy of Duscur in fear of the capital city being attacked if the knight order is to be dispatched. Post time-skip, the Grand Knight Order would become part of Cornelia's Faerghus dukedom but many knights would leave the order to join the Blaiddyd loyalists. Many more would leave once news of the last Blaiddyd being alive reach Fhirdiad and join the rallying people of Fhirdiad. In CF route, the Grand Knight Order takes direct orders from King Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and was mostly wiped out after the war with the remaining going into hiding to protect the last Blaiddyd. 

**First Knight and the Lionguards**

The First Knight’s main responsibility is to guard a member of House Blaiddyd. Usually, only the ruler would have a First Knight. Sometimes, the heir would also have a First Knight but not always. While the Lionguards’ main loyalty is to the Blaiddyd they are serving, the First Knight’s loyalty is supposed to be tied to Faerghus and its people (although many First Knights are chosen because they have shown loyalty to House Blaiddyd). The First Knight is also tasked with giving guidance to the Blaiddyd they are assigned to, mostly on the issues concerning the knightly orders and the peace of the kingdom itself while Lionguards are known as silent protectors and loyal weapons of House Blaiddyd, taking orders without any hesitation. Unlike the Lionguards, the First Knight can also retire or quit from their post at any time. The First Knight also has another name that is usually used to insult the knight’s honor: “The King’s Judge”. Another responsibility of a First Knight that is unknown to the public (and only seen as a dramatization in plays and books) and only said to the First Knight once they have taken the mantle is to execute the ruler of Faerghus if they have been deemed as too dangerous to the lives and peace of Faerghus and its people. 

This has only happened once. During the Crescent Moon Wars, the current king of Faerghus had planned to conquer the regions owned by the warring Leicester nobles and expand Faerghus’ territories. The royal court and many prominent noble houses in the kingdom had tried to reason with the king that such an act would be deemed as dishonorable and may even bring the wrath of the Church of Seiros on Faerghus itself. Those who had prominently opposed the king were executed by his Lionguards for treason. His First Knight would later kill him before Faerghus’ knight orders could be mobilized to conquer Leicester region. The First Knight would be later killed by the late King’s Lionsguards as retribution for their liege’s murder. The throne was immediately given to the crown prince of that time and the royal court swept the entire incident as an assassination by a group opposing the king’s plans which were changed to refusing to conquer Leicester region to not intice the people to carry out the late king’s last order out of loyalty and revenge. They painted the First Knight’s death as him protecting the king from the assassin. All of the previous king’s Lionguards were forced to retire, many of them returning to their home territory (most of which are part of the northern kingdom territories). After that incident, only a handful can take the mantle of the Lionguards instead of its previous number that was large enough to become a battalion and the First Knight earned the moniker “the King’s Judge” as a ‘reward’. Nowadays, the truth of the incident is only considered by most as a dramatization of the real events (there was even a play about it) and accepts that the king had been assassinated while his First Knight died protecting him.

(Had Faerghus continued with its plan to conquer the Leicester region during the Crescent Moon Wars, there was a high possibility that they would have emerged victorious as they had a stronger military might than the disorganized Leicester nobles fighting amongst themselves and some of the Leicester nobles were still close to their kingdom origin and could have been easily persuaded to pledge fealty to House Blaiddyd once more.) 

**School of Sorcery in Fhirdiad**

Adrestia Empire has no school for learning magic but each territory has its own magic sect instead. These magic sects would have different practices and spells but there will be overlaps as it is not forbidden for any sect to trade information from other sects but some secret is only available to either a specific magic sect or even a specific noble house. On the other hand, the School of Sorcery in Fhirdiad record all practices, theories and spells and all of these are available for anyone visiting or studying in the school. The school was first established as a library created and maintained by House Egrette of the Four Great House of Fhirdiad in an effort to consolidate all magical theories and practices in all of Fodlan, said to have been done under the orders of the hero Blaiddyd. Many aspiring magic users travel to Fhirdiad to access the library. As many magic users decide to stay in Fhirdiad while using the library, a separate building was created to house them. Many of these magic users decide to permanently stay in Fhirdiad to further their studies. In exchange for boarding, these magic users would record their findings and studies which will be added to the library. Soon, some of the magic users would instruct the aspiring magic users who are new to Fhirdiad. It didn’t take long before these magic users decided to propose that the library be turned into a school during the time of King Loog. King Loog approved of the proposal and the School of Sorcery was born. The school is run and maintained by the faculty members and board directors in the school itself and its funds are taken from the yearly admission fee of the students (additional fee will be necessary if the student decides to use the dormitories provided by the school). House Egette and House Blaiddyd were given a position on the board of directors and the head House Egrette usually take part for both their house and their liege’s house. Many graduates of the School of Sorcery usually becomes a mage for one of the noble kingdom or alliance houses or remain at the school as either a researcher or an instructor. Others would join one of the knight orders in preparation for the dark knight or holy knight certification exam. Most graduates of the School of Sorcery no longer enroll in the Officer’s Academy as many consider it to be a waste of time as the Officer’s Academy gives a more general education which makes it of lesser calibre than the specialized magic focused education of the School of Sorcery. It usually takes two or three years to graduate from the School of Sorcery depending on how general or specialized the student’s curriculum wishes to be. 

The library’s official name was Magicae Hominum Librarium (commonly shortened as “MaHo”). This is no longer used as it is now known as the School of Sorcery. 

**Butterfly Effect (House Fraldarius)**

This chapter actually has the first biggest change in this fic from the canon. The game never talked about Felix’s mother (actually, none of the childhood friends’ mothers get talked that much XD). This is because, in the canon timeline, Ainara died during childbirth. She survived in this fic because Katherine was in Castle Fraldarius during this event. In the original timeline, Katherine had no reason to stay in Castle Fraldarius and the healers in the castle were not enough to save Ainara. (It’s less of her magic prowess as she is a mediocre Faith magic user but more of the numbers of healers available during that event). This also meant that Cardia was meant to die earlier as well. Her weak health would have been weaker in the canon timeline. Instead of surviving as long as she did in this timeline, she would have died around the month Pegasus Moon 1162 which meant she got to spend a few more months with her husband and child. (unfortunately, her fate was sealed the moment she returned to Fhirdiad) 

  


**BONUS Info** (Post-game Crimson Flower and Verdant Wind Spoilers - this has nothing to do with this fic. Just info on what has happened in Faerghus, most specifically the royal court and the knight orders, post-game in CF and VW routes) 

In the CF route, the units who joined Dimitri's last stand are either from the Grand Knight Order or under the Four Great Noble Houses with the exception of Sylvain's Gautier knights. Dimitri’s battalion was led by his Lionguards, all of whom perished in the battle. The kingdom units who also joined Rhea in the final stage were composed of both the Grand Knight Order and the soldiers/knights under the Four Great Noble Houses of Fhirdiad. After the defeat of the Knights of Seiros and the death of their king, the remaining members and loyalists of the Four Great Noble Houses and the Grand Knight Order went into hiding with Rufus Faust Blaiddyd. They later resurfaced as allies of the Slitherers, bound by their fealty to the fallen House Blaiddyd to avenge their fallen king. The Slitherers launched their attack on the Adrestian Empire from Fhirdiad and Shambala at the same time with many of their units in Fhirdiad remnants of Faerghus' knight orders, most notably the remaining Gautier and Fraldarius knights, led by Margrave Ruger Juan Gautier and the last remaining Fraldarius, Luciano Hektor Fraldarius. The remaining northern kingdom armies also assisted the Slitherers, under the command of the Red Knight of the North, Aetius Krashney Itha. Most of them were either killed during the battle or executed after the Adrestian Empire's victory which included the execution of Margrave Gautier ("Fuck you and your future drenched in the blood of my king and our people! Glory to the wolf kings!") and the death of Lord Fraldarius ("For our king, for my brother and my nephew, I give my life to the glory of the wolf kings!") after he became a crest beast by using the Aegis shield, hereby ending both the Gautier and the Fraldarius bloodline. Fhirdiad and Shambala were also completely destroyed by an unknown explosion a day after the victory of the empire. However, some notable members of both the Grand Knight Order of Fhirdiad and the Four Great Noble Houses remained missing together with Rufus Faust Blaiddyd, including the White Knight of Faerghus and Chevalier Invaincu of the Grand Knight Order of Fhirdiad, Rheinallt Schwarzen, the current head of House Weissvogel, Ulysses Karel Weissvogel, and the current head of House Gellum, Angelica Gellum. No one knows where they are and Hubert's contacts and spies have yet to find them… If they are still alive. Even after the Adrestian Empire finally achieved peace all over Fodlan, there are still whispers of a crest-bearing Blaiddyd in hiding prevalent in the territories once part of the now historically erased Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. 

In Verdant Wind (and Silver Snow) route, the fall of House Blaiddyd fractured Faerghus into two: The Blaiddyd loyalists led by Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius in Castle Fraldarius and the Faerghus dukedom led by Cornelia Arnim in Fhirdiad. Both factions have bowed down to Queen Byleth's authority over Fodlan but Cornelia… is Cornelia and the Blaiddyd loyalists are still sworn to the now dead House Blaiddyd. All Blaiddyd loyalists in Fhirdiad have either been executed or imprisoned for crimes Cornelia has concocted and both factions are currently in a state of cold war while the new queen focuses on the remnants of the Slitherers in the empire and the other political/ethical problems in the empire. The Faerghus dukedom wishes to exterminate the Blaiddyd loyalists while the Blaiddyd loyalists wishes to take control of Fhirdiad so they may save their imprisoned comrades and bury the last Blaiddyd king in the royal crypt underneath Castle Blaiddyd. (this is actually part of the Kingdom subplot I suggested to [eisneRiegan ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eisneRiegan/pseuds/eisneRiegan)for her Claudeth fic [New Dawn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20544293) XD) 

In both post-game routes, the remaining military might of Faerghus has reverted from the code of chivalry and honor to the ways of the Ancient Wolf Kings and they are driven by their fealty to the fallen House Blaiddyd and hatred for Cornelia (VW) or the Adrestian Empire (CF). 

"The children of the wolf are born and raised in this cold rugged lands, surviving and adapting under the protection of their king. They are bound to the will of their king and they demand tribute for their murdered king. "

This very same mentality is what caused the unnecessary genocide of the people of Duscur. 

**Names of Characters Appearing/Being Mentioned In This Chapter** (Which May Become Important or Not):

Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius (birth name Byleth Eisner), daughter of the Duke of Fraldarius

Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Duke of Fraldarius

Ainara Violette Fraldarius (nee Mateus), Duchess of Fraldarius

Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, firstborn son of the Duke of Fraldarius

Felix Hugo Fraldarius, second son of the Duke of Fraldarius 

Lord Loog Alistair Fraldarius, Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius’ Stuffed Lion

Luciano Hektor Fraldarius, younger brother of the Duke of Fraldarius 

Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

Cardia Evelyn Blaiddyd (nee Gideon), Queen of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Crown Prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

Gustave Eddie Dominic, Chevalier Invaincu of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and First Knight of King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd

Ruger Juan Gautier, Margrave of Gautier

Orlene Adelheid Gautier (nee Muzette), Margravine of Gautier

Miklan Anschutz Gautier, firstborn son of Margave of Gautier

Sylvain Jose Gautier, second son of Margrave Gautier

Sigrun Emilia Galatea, Countess of Galatea

Joachim Byron Galatea (nee Rolando), Count of Galatea

Alfin Svend Galatea, firstborn son of the Countess of Galatea

Judah Mundi Galatea, second son of the Countess of Galatea

Ingrid Brandl Galatea, only daughter of the Countess of Galatea

Lucis Croire Egrette, Duke of Egrette and member of the Royal Court

Helmuth Breane Weissvogel, Duke of Weissvogel and member of the Royal Court

Count Leonardo Cael Gellum, Count of Gellum and a member of the Royal Court

Marquis Arnaud Nicolai Cynewig, Marquis of Cynewig and a member of the Royal Court

Abraham Gauis, Court Doctor to the Royal Family

Cornelia Arnim, Court Mage to the Royal Family

Theodore Schwarzen, Representative of the People and Head of the Merchant Guild in Fhidriad

Hunydd Powe, Fraldarius servant and nanny to Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius

Elster Powe, son of Hunydd Powe

Katherine Hohenheim, Byleth Fraldarius' personal governess

Lambert’s Lionguards (Ulrich, Viktor, Korre, Donovan, and Katya)

Dimitri’s Lionguards (Colette)


	6. 1164 (Great Tree Moon - Harpstring Moon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Change is upon Fhirdiad, brought by the return of a certain former knight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to Marlene and Jhael as well for the support! Thank you for the coffee! :)  
And, before anything else, [Savanir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Savanir/pseuds/Savanir) drew an adorable [Little Lady Byleth](https://imgur.com/gallery/3OL5Yr4) <3 Please check it out as she’s so adorable!
> 
> Okay, so lots of things are happening this year which means there’s a need to separate this year to multiple parts (probably 2 parts but I won’t be surprised if it turns to 3) to keep it on a manageable length while being able to update this fic in a kinda timely manner.  
No real childhood friends babies shenanigans in this part as this is mostly plot though

**Great Tree Moon, 1164 - Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, Castle Blaiddyd **

The first morning of the Great Tree Moon was greeted with a clear sky and a sun that seemed to have been personally created to hit Lambert right on the face. He groaned and turned away from the offending light, his groggy mind cursing whoever forgot to draw the curtains shut.

It was most probably him so he started to curse himself.

He felt something hit his left ear which made him grumble and turn his head to cover the slightly tingling ear. Thankfully, someone must have drawn the curtains shut as the offending light no longer hit his closed eyes.

His right ear was hit harder which he ignored by turning his head once more. It took awhile for him to realize that someone was flicking his ear. 

This time, his left ear was flicked rapidly, making him growl as he slapped the attacking hand. 

His mind barely registered that the hand was quite callous. 

The slap must have deterred his attacker as he received no more hits and was about to drift back to sleep when the attacker came back with the same rapid flicks. He finally opened his eyes to try and glare at his attacker but he was still half-asleep so it looked more sleepy than scary as he mumbled, “You are lucky I am quite fond of you, Sir Jeralt.” 

“So you knew.” The older man was standing next to his bed with one of his hands on his waist, staring down at him as he guessed, “I suppose that means you knew it was me from the very beginning and that’s why you didn’t try to kill me as soon as I touched you.”

Lambert hummed and didn’t bother to confirm or deny his guess as he closed his eyes once more. He heard Jeralt sigh before he felt his ear get flicked rapidly once more. Lambert growled and grabbed the nearest pillow his head wasn’t resting on and threw it at the older man’s direction. He heard it hit something and wondered if the pillow hit the wall or actually managed to hit the legendary Blade Breaker. 

There was a few seconds of silence before he heard Jeralt say in a calm controlled tone, “I was being nice to you because you might have a bottle ache with how drunk you were last night-”

Lambert’s eyes opened at that and he asked with wide eyes, “I was?”

Jeralt raised an eyebrow at that question and asked back, “You don’t remember?”

The king finally sat up and dragged his hand over his hair as he assessed how he currently felt. His mouth was dry and he could really use a glass of water. He had a slight headache but that was pretty much normal for him by now so he could easily ignore it. The light coming outside, which he realized had been blocked by the older man’s huge form, was irritating when he glanced at it which wasn’t normal. He glanced at the silent man who simply stared at him and winced as he admitted, “I… may have drank a bit too much wine last night.”

“Did you now?” Jeralt asked in a deadpan tone. 

Lambert stared at the older man horrified as he asked, “I… I didn't say or do anything untoward to you, did I?”

Jeralt hummed as he sat on a chair next to the bed. He crossed his right leg over his left before replying casually, “Well, you did tell me we were moving too fast.”

“Moving too fast…?” He repeated with furrowed brows that showed his confusion. Jeralt raised an eyebrow at him and waited for the king to realize what it meant. A few seconds later, Jeralt knew that the younger man realized what that meant as his entire face started to turn red as he stared at him with wide eyes. He watched with amusement as the king covered his face and let out a muffled scream that lasted for almost a minute. Once he was done, he took a deep breath before removing his hands from his face. His face was no longer red but his ears were still the shade of a ripe tomato. The king cleared his throat before staring at Jeralt as he said seriously, “I apologize for saying such vulgar words to you.”

Jeralt raised an eyebrow at the word ‘vulgar’ but remained quiet which the king was grateful for as he continued, “I truly hope that I have not offended you in any way and that you would find it in your heart to forgi-”

He stopped when the former knight raised a hand, speaking as soon as he stopped, “Okay, okay, that’s enough. You don’t need to apologize that much. Drunk people say a lot of crap all the time. Only an idiot would take most things a drunkard say seriously.”

“O-of c-course.” The king stuttered, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink as he agreed, “W-we shouldn’t take the words from the loosened lips of one under the influence of wine seriously.”

“Yeah. They’re either full of crap or…” Jeralt stared at Lambert as he added solemnly, “... secrets they’ve been hiding all this time.”

The younger man paled at those words and he opened his mouth to say something but Jeralt beat him to it with a single question that took all of his thoughts away, “Are you really hearing the voice of your late wife?”

Lambert gripped the bed sheet pooled around his lap tightly as he asked back, “I… told you that?”

Seeing the former knight nod, he sighed tiredly before replying with a small smile on his face, “Please do not worry about it. It’s just my grief getting the best of me…” 

His smile faltered as he whispered, “It will go away in time.”

“Have you even properly grieved?” Jeralt asked and Lambert hated seeing the concern in his eyes as he listened to the older man continued, “The plague was still in full swing when you lost her and I’m not a king but even I know that your responsibilities and duties wouldn’t just stop during that time. Knowing you, you probably shouldered all of it even when you should have taken the time to grieve.”

“People have different ways of grieving.” Lambert interrupted him, lowering his eyes to stare at the bed sheet covering his lap as he continued, “And my people needed me.”

He closed his eyes as he clarified, “They need me.”

He opened his eyes and raised his head to stare at the concerned man as he informed him, “Even now, Adrestia refused to open its borders and Leicester is asking for concrete evidence that the plague has passed. I must coordinate with Count Charon and the grand bishop of the Western Church to ask assistance from the archbishop herself.”

The word ‘archbishop’ left a bitter taste in his mouth as he remembered how his love couldn’t even receive her last rites from the archbishop like how a proper Blaiddyd funeral should have been because of the plague.

He shook his head before asking, “Speaking of which, as much as I am glad to see you in person, I musk ask. How did you manage to cross the borders? Did you go through Leicester? I know they’re more lax there.”

“I didn’t.” Jeralt replied, shrugging as he casually explained, “I took a boat from Nuvelle port and traveled to Duscur.”

“Duscur?!” Lambert’s eyes widened as he repeated.

“From there, I just crossed the mountains and got here.” He raised an eyebrow as he added with a roll of his eyes, “The House in charge of mountains… what was the name? Claymore? Keyman? Whatever their name is, that House is not doing their job well. The soldiers and knights in charge of watching over Duscur’s movements were so lax an entire battalion could invade them before they could ring the bell to alert their comrades.” 

“A deplorable state, for sure, but I had expected as much. If that House is anything like their current head, I will be more surprised if they managed to send a messenger to us before they get destroyed by Duscur if an invasion does happen.” Lambert dismissed easily which amused the former knight, “You mean to tell me that you not only managed to get a boat to take you to Duscur but you also managed to cross the perilous sacred mountains by yourself?”

Jeralt shrugged as he replied vaguely, “It’s only perilous if you don’t know where you’re going.”

“And you know the way?” The king asked with furrowed brows.

The older man hummed before he explained, “The Knights of Seiros travel all over Fodlan.”

“I would remember if the Knights of Seiros requested permission to cross the sacred mountains.” Lambert retorted.

“The church only asks permission for official business.” Jeralt informed him before asking casually, “But you already realize that, right?”

Lambert turned away as he sighed before replying, “Unfortunately, I had a feeling that would be the case.”

Jeralt watched as the king finally took off the blanket and got out of his bed. Lambert walked towards the ornate blue and gold room divider on the northwest corner of the room. The divider was quite simple in design with a dark blue shade and golden vines traveling from the bottom left side to the top right side. The clothes he would be wearing for the day was folded on the corner table next to a silver basin that one of the maids had filled with warm water yesterday. The cold night had unfortunately turned the water ice cold but he didn’t mind. He grabbed the soft towel on the other side of the basin and soaked it into the cold water as he heard Jeralt inform him from the other side of the divider, “Speaking of the Church of Seiros, I couldn’t find any information about what Rhea was doing to Byleth. I couldn’t get close to Garreg Mach and all my contacts and the spies you provided couldn’t get close to Rhea at all.”

Lambert took out the towel and twisted it to remove the excess water as he commented, “I am not surprised at all. All of the previous archbishops of the church have always been secretive and would rarely leave Garreg Mach.”

He frowned as he commented, “I actually have not heard nor seen anyone who could be considered close to the archbishop except you and your late wife.”

“I know.” He heard the former knight reply. He dragged the towel over his face as he heard Jeralt continue, “Those who are close to her are devoted monks and nuns who would willingly do anything for her. Some of them I know even have a similar long lifespan as I do.”

Lambert removed the black trousers and white tunic he had slept on, dropping it to the floor without care before dragging the towel over his body as he listened to the older man, “I tried going to the eastern church in Leicester but that was a dead end. They hold no power in the Alliance and they barely even get any messages from the monastery. They seem to just be doing their own thing and spreading the teachings of the Goddess to those who want to hear them.”

The king sighed as he dropped the towel back to the basin as he mumbled, “How nice it would be if our dear Western Church would do the same.”

He heard the former knight snort at that. Lambert started to wear the folded clothes that had been prepared for him last night as Jeralt continued, “That’s when I received Rodrigue’s letter about Enbarr.”

After wearing the white long-sleeved collared shirt and plain black trousers, Lambert wore a dark blue padded jacket as he said politely, “I do apologize for asking you to find out the validity of the information we have received when you were so busy.”

He stepped out of the divider in time to see the older man shrug as he said, “It wasn’t like I was getting any concrete information in Leicester anyway. I had been planning to check Adrestia even before your messenger got to me. All I got from Leicester was a bunch of rumors about some kind of cursed place somewhere in Goneril territory.” 

“Cursed place?” The younger man repeated with a raised eyebrow as he buttoned his jacket.

Jeralt remain relaxed in his seat as he waved his hand in a dismissive manner, “Nothing concrete, just rumors and stories meant to scare children so they would behave. I did ask our contact in Goneril territory to send me a message if he hears anything more.”

Lambert hummed at that which made his companion explain casually, “There’s always some form of truth hidden in rumors and stories. Maybe it’s nothing, maybe it’s the key to everything. Better safe than sorry.”

“I simply find it quite funny that Leicester would have a cursed place while we have a sacred mountain.” Lambert commented with an amused smile. His smile fell as he saw the stoic expression on Jeralt’s face, “Sir Jeralt?”

The former knight took a deep breath before commenting, “There is nothing sacred in those mountains.”

The king wasn’t given any time to say anything as his companion continued in a solemn tone, “Things are… strange in Adrestia.”

“Strange?” Lambert asked, frowning at him, as he sat on the edge of his bed, facing Jeralt who nodded.

“As you know, the Southern Church is pretty much just an empty building now. There are few worshippers of the Goddess in Adrestia ever since the Southern Church tried and failed to take over Adrestia about a hundred years ago.” The older man reminded him, “Before I went to Enbarr, I stopped by Varley since House Varley took the role of the Ministry of Religion. From what I could gather from the people working for House Varley, the empire has been slowly distancing itself from the church and, because of this, House Varley has slowly began to lose its standing in the Adrestian nobility.”

“That’s not surprising.” Lambert commented as he placed a hand on his chin while his elbow rested against the palm of his crossed arm, “The empire and the church’s relationship has been deteriorating for years now. Maybe even decades… Since the main task of House Varley is to maintain a relationship with the church, if the empire completely cuts off any and all contact with the church, it won’t be long before the Ministry of Religion would simply be a title.” 

His lips curved into a smirk as he joked, “Unless, of course, the empire decides to create a new religion. How about a religion based on worshipping House Hresvelg as a god? God Emperor does have a nice sound to it, does it not?”

“The church would see that as an attack.” Jeralt commented, sighing before he corrected, “At the very least, Rhea could take it as a personal insult to the goddess.” 

The king shrugged as he casually said, “It was just a joke. Not even the emperor would be stupid enough to encur the wrath of the Knight of Seiros.”

His eyes narrowed as he added, “At the very least, not while the kingdom would be honor-bound to support the church. Our forces are pretty much equal at the moment and the church could easily tip the balance if they so wishes to.” 

Jeralt stared at him for a moment before continuing, “Anyway, I heard from the people working in House Varley that Count Varley has been visiting Enbarr frequently.”

“When I got to Enbarr, I’ve gotten confirmation from your spies and my contacts that the count has been meeting with certain high ranking noble houses.” He informed the king, “Not only that, there have been a lot of rumors that the current emperor is planning to take control over everything.”

“What do you mean?” Lambert’s brows furrowed as he asked.

“I’m not exactly sure since these are all rumors.” Jeralt reminded him, “But there have been whispers that the emperor is planning to remove the powers of the ministries and create a policy of power centralization.”

“Power centralization.” The king’s lips curved into a sardonic smile. He stood and walked towards the balcony as he commented, “Power centralization is a lie.”

He stopped by the glass doors and stared at the sky as he said, “The monarchy should have complete power over their subjects…”

His hands tightened into fists as he admitted, “Yet, the only way to keep the peace in the kingdom is to bow down the will of the people. To the desires of both the common folks and the nobility.”

“A ruler who does not listen to the cries of their people is nothing more than a tyrant.” Lambert announced as he lowered his head, “The needs and wishes of the people must always come first.”

His hands slightly shook as he whispered, “Even if it means sacrificing the ones we love.” 

“Lambert.” Jeralt stood from his seat but did not approach the grieving man.

“When a person dies, we must cover all the mirrors and windows less their soul be chained to that reflection.” He recited before turning to face Jeralt as he confessed with a sad smile, “I kept a mirror uncovered…” 

He pointed at the divider as he said, “The mirror on the other side of that divider, actually.”

He chuckled mirthlessly and shook his head before sighing. The king closed his eyes as he admitted, “I know it’s just a superstition, I know if it was true, it would be evil to bind her soul to this world… I… I…”

He didn't finish what he wanted to say and simply took a deep breath instead. He opened his eyes and said solemnly, “A centralized power would never work in the empire. The nobility there are too used to having the power they currently have. Even if it does work, the emperor will simply fall to the same cage we are in.” 

He lifted his hand to stare at his open palm silently for a few moments. He clenched his fist as mused, “If you want to use your power to overthrow whatever they say, you must have a reason to do so. Like… a plague to declare the northern territories as a separate entity… free from the will of the royal court.”

His clenched fist trembled slightly as he mused, “If I had made Rodrigue, or even Rufus, as King Regent earlier, they would have had the power to keep Cardia there. If she stayed…” 

“If she had stayed…” He whispered, unable to keep the pain in his voice. He closed his eyes as her voice starts to whisper right in his ear.

_ “I would still be alive.” _

_ “I’m dead because you didn’t protect me.” _

_ “Our son will never know me because of you.” _

“Lambert!” 

He gasped as he felt hands grip his shoulders tightly and he opened his eyes to stare at Jeralt with wide blue eyes. 

“Sir Jeralt… I…”

The door opened and Lambert recognized Donovan’s voice as he cheerfully greeted, “Good morning, Your Maje-”

They both turned to stare at the Lionguard by the door and the Lionguard stared back at them in complete silence. After a moment, The Lionguard took a step back and closed the door without uttering a single word.

They could hear Ulrich’s gruff voice from the other side as he asked, “Donovan, why are you guarding the door?”

Donovan cleared his throat before replying, “His Majesty is currently busy at the moment.”

“Doing what?” Ulrich asked in a slightly confused tone, “The bell hasn’t even been rung six times for today.”

“Could you just get out of the way so we can give the king his breakfast already?” A female voice that Lambert recognized as Korre’s asked in an exasperated tone.

“No, you don’t understand. The king is busy.” Donovan emphasized the last word and Lambert groaned as he realized the misunderstanding. Jeralt snorted and let go of Lambert’s shoulders so he could cover his mouth with one of his hands as he hid his amused smirk. 

“Donovan, I’m not busy!” Lambert shouted before ordering, “All of you, get in here!” 

There was silence from the other side of the room before the door gingerly opened. One of the Lionguards cautiously entered and saw Lambert and Jeralt staring at him with their arms crossed. Lambert assumed it was Donovan because the knight sighed in relief before walking inside the room to stand at attention in front of him. The other Lionguards entered as well, all pausing for a moment when they noticed the former knight of Seiros before continuing on. The fourth Lionguard closed the door, leaving one to guard outside. As usual, two of his Lionguards stood by the door while one stood next to the balcony door. Another Lionguard stood on the corner with a clear view of both the door and the balcony after she had placed Lambert’s breakfast on the table.

A quick check on each of them was all Lambert to know who the lone Lionguard standing outside to guard his door was and he ordered, “Victor, come inside.”

The door opened once more and his final Lionguard stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

“As you might all know, this is Sir Jeralt.” Lambert introduced the man next to him, more of a formality than anything else. His Lionguards remained silent which wasn’t surprising. They rarely did speak if they were in the presence of anyone but him, “His presence here in Fhirdiad must remain a secret at all cause, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” All of the Lionguards bowed and the king saw Jeralt’s face turned into a slight frown from the corner of his eye.

He turned towards him as he said with a polite smile, “We can continue our talk while we eat. There is enough food for both of us.”

Lambert glanced at his Lionguards before continuing, “Afterwards, one of my Lionguards can accompany you to the secret tunnels so you may leave Castle Blaiddyd without being detected.”

“About that…” Jeralt placed his hand on his hip as he asked, “I want you to knight me as your Lionguard.”

All of his Lionguards straightened as those words and their king’s brows furrowed as he asked, “I would truly be honored to have you as my Lionguard but are you sure about this? If you have no plans to travel all over Fodlan, would you not prefer to stay in Fraldarius with Byleth? I can write a letter to Rodrigue and he can easily dub you as a knight of the Fraldarius Knight Order instead?”

The former knight shook his head as he reasoned, “If I become a knight for House Fraldarius, everyone would know who I am. The Fraldarius Knight Order rarely wear helmets as they mainly rely on their speed to take down their opponents.”

“That is true.” The younger man mumbled before suggesting, “Oh! I know. How about a mask? We can find you a mask.”

“That would just make me much more suspicious and people would ask questions about why I wear a mask.” The older man replied with an amused smile playing on his face.

“You can just say that you have such a hideous scar that-”

“Lambert.” Jeralt cut his words short in a firm but kind tone. His smile turned bitter as he reasoned, “We both know that people would wonder why a famous Knight of Seiros who disappeared years ago suddenly became a knight for a kingdom noble house that is well known to be loyal to the crown. My very presence will bring eyes to House Fraldarius and to you. Even if I wear a mask and take a different name, people would still talk about the mysterious masked man who appeared out of nowhere and got dubbed right away.” 

“That may be true but…” Lambert mumbled, unable to find the right words to say.

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Lambert, I truly do but you and I both know that the best way to keep Byleth safe is for me to stay away from her.” He said softly, giving Lambert a rare soft smile for a moment before continuing solemnly, “Also, I am not asking to be your Lionguard simply because of the anonymity that the title give thanks to the helmet and the tradition of casting your past away to become a Lionguad.”

“Oh?” That one word was able to convey the curiosity the king had as he stared at the former knight with his clear blue eyes.

“That plague was too strange to be a simple sickness.” Jeralt stated seriously.

Lambert remained silent for a moment while his Lionguards all stared at the mysterious man before he asked, “What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it strange that only Faerghus was hit by this plague?” Jeralt asked back, making the king frown while the Lionguards turn to look at one another silently, “Think about it. The plague started in the southern territories but we never heard of any news of it reaching Arundel at all. It took months before Faerghus and Adestria fully closed its borders and not one got sick in Adrestia at all? What kind of plague would cause that?”

“Are you saying that the plague was created to intentionally harm Faerghus?” The king’s tone was hard as his stoic expression was betrayed by the frozen rage swirling in his blue eyes.

“Not harm, cripple.” He clarified before explaining further, “Many of our people died in the plague and the closing of the borders ensured that our resources during last year’s winter would be disturbingly lower than it should have been had we been able to procure resources from Adrestia or Leicester. Not only that, this plague also isolated the territories between one another because of fear of being infected and created discord between the noble houses, most especially the southern and central noble houses towards the northern noble houses. Even now, you’re busy trying to maintain peace and order while trying to appease the ruffled feathers of the central and southern nobles, aren’t you?”

Lambert stared at him for a few moments before commenting, “You’re quite perceptive. It’s actually hard to believe that you’ve only just returned to Faerghus.”

“You hear a lot of things in taverns.” Jeralt said with a shrug before continuing, “What I’m trying to say is whoever created that plague created it to bring discord in the kingdom. I will admit there are some screwed up people out there who would do this just for entertainment but, if they’re not, then they wouldn’t be done with this alone.”

“You believe the plague is only be the beginning.” The king concluded, placing a hand on his chin as he mulled it over. 

“That’s right. And, if their main objective is to cause chaos in the kingdom, what better way to start one than to kill the king himself?” The former knight asked, causing all of the Lionguards to freeze.

The blond man simply nodded as he agreed, “That would send the kingdom into chaos but I can take care of myself-” 

“I was able to take you down because you were so drunk you actually don’t remember what happened last night.” The older man reminded him. One of his Lionguards choked at those words. 

“Well, I have my Lionguards with-”

“The same Lionguards who left you alone for an entire night because you ordered them to?” Jeralt deadpanned with a raised eyebrow. 

Lambert became silent at that, unable to deny the points the older man was making while his Lionguards silently stared at them. 

“I won’t say anything about their skills in combat since I haven’t seen them in action at all but, I will say this, the problem with your Lionguards is they uphold your words above all else. You give them an order and they will do it without question because that’s what it means to be a Lionguard.” Jeralt continued, as if the other Lionguards weren’t in the room with them.

“That is not true. Ulrich refused to shout out the messages I had for Cardia last year.” The king defended, turning to stare at his Lionguards. Ulrich nodded silently.

Jeralt rolled his eyes as he retorted, “And you probably didn’t insist on it, right? They were able to reject your order because they knew you weren’t entirely serious about it.”

Lambert stared at him silently so the former knight continued, “If it had been a serious order, they would have done it almost immediately. Lionguards are attuned with the true wishes and desires of the Blaiddyd they are serving. At least, they should be. What you need is a Lionguard who will not blindly follow your order and do what must be done to keep you safe, not to keep you happy.”

“And you wish to be that person for me?” The king asked with raised eyebrows.

“Considering what I saw last night, it’s obvious I can’t leave your life to any of them.” 

At those words, Ulrich finally broke his silence, “How dare you!”

The oldest of his Lionguards stepped towards Jeralt as he growled, “All of us would gladly give our lives for His Majesty.”

“I know you would.” The former knight nodded at him, unnerved by the hostility, as he said, “But you can’t guard someone when you’re not with them. Even if it was an order, Lambert’s safety must always come first.” 

“The order of House Blaiddyd is absolute.” Ulrich retorted gruffly, “To refuse an order is a treachery of the highest off-”

“Enough.” The king ordered in a firm and calm tone which his Lionguard immediately obeyed. He turned to stare at his oldest Lionguard as he ordered, “Stand down, Ulrich.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Ulrich obeyed with a bow, stepping back once more.

Lambert turned his attention back to the older man as he asked, “But… why? Why do so much for me?”

“I won’t lie to you, Lambert. Part of the reason why I am doing this is because I need you alive. You’re the only ally I have that knows everything I know and have the actual power and resources to make a difference. To keep my daughter safe, I need you alive.” Jeralt admitted solemnly as he returned the king’s stare.

“Even if I die, Rodrigue would not let anything befall to Byleth. These past years, he has truly come to see her as his own daughter.” He paused for a moment before adding softly, “Forgive me. I just realize how insensitive that must have sound.”

“You’re right, though. I’ve spent all these years away from her. No matter how you look at it, Duke Fraldarius is her father and she’s a Fraldarius.” Lambert’s heart ached at those words but he remained silent as the older man continued, “But that does not mean I stopped loving her. She might not know who I am and she might never know who I am but if being a stranger to her means she gets to live her life safe and away from Rhea… if it means she grows up surrounded by people who love and care for her, it’s a sacrifice I am willing to make.”

“I spent these past years finding nothing about the church or Rhea.” Jeralt admitted, “It pains me to admit this but I can spend more years searching all over Fodlan for the truth but it’ll probably end up a waste of time. If there’s anything the church is good at, it’s keeping its secrets tightly under wraps.”

“Sir Jeralt…”

“I haven’t given up, don’t get me wrong.” The former knight clarified, “But, for now, there are better things for me to do than run around Fodlan like a headless chicken and that is to protect you while we find out who could be targeting Faerghus. Who knows? Maybe this will lead back to Rhea or the church.”

“It is a possibility that it would be linked to the church.” Lambert admitted with a frown, “If they wish to sow chaos, the church would have an excuse to intervene and tighten their hold in the kingdom in the name of their goddess.”

“I know I told you that I want to keep you alive to protect my daughter, that’s true, but that’s not the only reason.” Jeralt closed his eyes as he admitted, “I used to be a knight for a kingdom lord.”

“You were? Why have I not heard of this before?” Lambert asked with a frown.

“Because it was a long time ago, more than a hundred year ago.” 

At those words, the other Lionguards turned to stare at one another. Lambert knew they were confused but they wouldn’t breathe a single word they would hear to anyone. He trusted them that much at the very least and he was pleased to know that Jeralt trusted his judgement.

“I refused to serve the king back then so I decided to cast my lot on a lowly kingdom noble that held a piece of land near Garreg Mach. The lord was visiting Garreg Mach when we were attacked by bandits. I got injured badly and they took me to the monastery instead to be healed.” He opened his eyes as he continued, “I don’t know why Rhea did it but she saved my life by giving me some of her blood. From that day forward, I decided to pledge my loyalty to her instead. And, well… you know what happened.”

Seeing the confused look on the king’s face, he explained, “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t really have a good track record with the people I serve but you… I knew you when you were just a prince and I think I have a pretty good idea of who you are as a king. So I’m casting my lot on you. I want to believe that you’re worthy of my loyalty.”

“When you say it like that, it does bring a lot of pressure to me.” The king admitted. 

“You don’t have to think of it that way. Just do what you want and I’ll be here making sure you don’t get killed one way or another.” Jeralt rolled his eyes as he added, “And your other Lionguards would be free to continue and obey any idiotic orders you may have too.”

Lambert chuckled softly at those words while his Lionguards remained silent. He knew Ulrich was glaring at the older man from behind that lion helmet of his and the firm scowl on his lips was a dead giveaway.

“... I would be a fool to say no to having a man of your calibre as part of my Lionguards.” Lambert’s lips curved into a small smile as he admitted, “I truly do hope I do not disappoint you.”

“We’ll just see. And, don’t worry, if you do disappoint me, I’ll make sure to tell you as loudly and as obnoxious as I can.” Jeralt replied casually. 

Lambert chuckled as he said with a smile, “I would greatly appreciate your candor, Sir Jeralt.”

“... Oh, we should think of a different name for you, wouldn’t you agree?” Lambert remembered as he crossed his arms. 

Jeralt shrugged as he said, “I’ll take whatever name you think of.” 

They managed to keep Jeralt’s future knighting a secret for a while. It helped that the castle blacksmith was able to keep his mouth shut as he forged the Lionguard armor, leaving the lion helmet for last. It was only when the lion helmet was near its completion that news of a new Lionguard spread all over Castle Blaiddyd. The people working in Castle Blaiddyd and the people in Fhirdiad weren’t really interested that much as they only had a passing idea of who the Lionguards were. The knights, on the other hand, were ablazed with burning curiosity. Even Gustave had tried to ask more than once who was being knighted but Lambert simply answered “Someone I trust.” each time which annoyed the older man but his respect for his king easily won out every time. It helped that his first knight was also busy taking care of their newborn baby. The most common guess was the knighting ceremony was for the crown prince’s second Lionguard instead of the king which Lambert didn’t bother to correct. Marquis Cynewig had also asked once who it was but easily backed off after his question was answered the same way as Gustave was. It wasn’t anything new as Marquis Cynewig had always been the type to simply go with the flow of things. As long as the Grand Knight Order was functioning properly, he would go along with anything the king wanted. The surprising inquiry came from Theodore Schwarzen who had admitted that he was simply asking because his son wanted to become a knight and the news of a new Lionguard had his son excited. Lambert has suggested that the merchant bring his son to the knighting ceremony which the black-haired man had thanked him for. 

The knighting ceremony happened on the twentieth day of the Great Tree Moon. As per tradition with the knighting ceremony of a Lionguard, the ceremony was held in Winter’s Keep, at the very same elevated platform that he had used to bring the Fraldarius family to the crypt a year ago. All of his Lionguards stood at the edge of the elevated platform while Colette held Dimitri in her arms as she stood behind Lambert. Jeralt, wearing his newly forged Lionguard armor and helmet, knelt in front of him. A few feet to their right was the statue of the knight holding a crystal orb. The entire royal court was in attendance, standing to their left, a few feet away from the elevated platform. Theodore had brought his son with him, a small black-haired child probably around Byleth’s or Sylvain’s age, while Duke Weissvogel had brought both of his sons with him. He knew the oldest was a year older than Miklan and Glenn while his younger son was around Sylvain’s age. Marquis Cynewig also brought his son who had been knighted into the Grand Knight Order five years ago and was slowly climbing the ranks as expected of him. Duke Egrette and Count Gellum were the only ones who came alone but that was to be expected as Duke Egrett’s daughter was just born last year while Count Gellum had no offspring, legitimate or otherwise. He did, however, had a niece who had been confirmed to have a crest. The last news Lambert had heard about it was that the count was asking that his niece live with him here in Fhirdiad to be his heir but the husband of his sister, a lord of a vassal house under House Aegir, had refused which the count took as an insult. 

Lambert tapped the end of Areadbhar against the platform, making the crest of Blaiddyd shine underneath them but not activating the platform itself. He stared at the kneeling man in front of him as he recited, “To be a Lionguard means casting away your lineage, your title and your identity. A Lionguard exists as an extension of a Blaiddyd.”

He lowered Areadbhar until the tip of its blade touched Jeralt’s chin. The hero relic twitched, its long finger-like blade tapping Jeralt’s chin lightly, which never happened before. Lambert took it in stride though, used to the random movements of the hero relic. To him, the continuous glowing of the Aegis Shield was stranger as it glowed and dimmed in an almost heartbeat-like rhythm. 

“Whatever your past may be, it matters not. As of this very moment, you are a member of House Blaiddyd.” Lambert continued without missing a beat.

He tapped Areadbhar’s blade on his left shoulder as he declared, “You are my shield. You shall protect me until I take my last breath.”

He tapped Areadbhar’s blade on his right shoulder as he declared, “You are my weapon. You shall show no mercy to my enemies.” 

“You are my very will given form.” He tapped the end of Areadbhar to the platform once more as he announced, “From this day forth, your life is mine and mine alone.” 

“Arise, Sir Giraud, Lionguard of House Blaiddyd.”

As the newly dubbed knight rose, their entire audience began to clap.

“I have a question.” Jeralt asked that night as Lambert was changing to his sleeping gown behind the divider. Ever since he had returned to Fhirdiad, Jeralt had continued to sleep in Lambert’s room on the floor using a cot that Donovan had managed to smuggle inside without anyone knowing. It had been because Jeralt had been hiding from the entire castle until the time he could finally don the lion helmet without anyone asking too many questions. Now, Lambert had only been mildly surprised when a couch large enough for the older man to sleep on it comfortably appeared in his room tonight. He wasn’t sure why his new Lionguard was still sleeping in his room considering the rest of his Lionguards had returned to their four hours nightly rotation of one guard standing by the door to his room and another by the glass door leading to the balcony but he wasn’t going to question it at this point and just considered it as another one of the many eccentries of his life at this point. 

“What is it, Sir Giraud?” He asked instead as he donned the simple white sleeping gown. 

“Ugh. Do you really need to say that name each time you talk to me?” The older man groaned which only made the king smirk. 

“I find that the easiest way to remember a name is to keep repeating it.” Jeralt hummed at that explanation so he reminded him as he stepped out of the divider, “You had a question for me?”

“The pommel of my knight sword.” The king blinked at the randomness of his new Lionguard’s words so he clarified, “Why is there a griffon etched on it?”

“Oh, that.” Lambert nodded before he explained, “I wanted the pommel to be the shape of a griffon but I was told it was too much to have the whole griffon on the pommel. I was suggested to simply use the head but that would just look like an eagle, not a griffon, so I had asked that the griffon be etched on the pommel instead.”

“That’s not what I was asking.” Jeralt sighed before he clarified, “Why a griffon? Why did you make sure that the pommel has a griffon in the first place?” 

The king placed a hand on his chin as he rested his elbow against his palm, “I am not sure myself. All the other Lionguards have a lion pommel but it just seemed… right? I suppose that would be the word? It just seemed right for yours to have a griffon instead.”

His newly dubbed Lionguard remained quiet so he continued, “I suppose it might be because you’re special. The other Lionguards are what a Lionguard must be but you’re not. You’re not chained by the same responsibilities and duties as they are. You are, in a sense, like a griffon from the legends, a free beast that decided out of its own free will to accompany its rider to battle.”

He looked at the floor as he admitted, “Perhaps a part of me also wishes to gain your eternal loyalty like that of a griffon and its rider.” 

His cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he hurriedly said, “Please disregard that! I do not mean to say that you are a beast or-”

His words died out as he felt the older man pat his head as he chuckled. Lambert raised his eyes to stare at him, silently delighted that he was simply wearing a plain long sleeved white shirt and sleeping trousers instead of the full armor of the Lionguard. If he had, Lambert would not have been able to see how his eyes crinkled as he held a small smile on his face and clearly hear the almost merry tone in his voice as he said, “It’s okay, Lambert. I get what you’re trying to say. Your griffon, huh?”

His tone seemed to be both happy yet melancholic at the same time which only made Lambert more curious, “I think I’d like that. The king and his griffon… has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Lambert’s lips curved into a small smile as he nodded, “Yes, I believe it does.” 

**Harpstring Moon, 1164 - Lionguard Giraud (Jeralt Reus Eisner), Open Fields Next to Headquarters of the Grand Knight Order of Fhirdiad**

The headquarters of the Grand Knight Order of Fhirdiad was located in the capital city, just half a kilometer to the west of Castle Blaiddyd. It was a grand building with a large training field that had a gate which leads to the open fields outside Fhirdiad where the knights and squires could train or spar using their mounts. Right now, many knights and squires stood between the gate and the field, watching as all of the current Lionguards of both the king and the prince stood at the center of the large field. 

“Today, you will all be fighting me.” Jeralt announced, staring at the six Lionguards in front of him. They all turned to look at the Lionguard with a large axe and shield that he assumed would be Ulrich. Knowing what they were trying to silent ask, he informed them, “I already have Lambert’s approval for this training.”

“King Lambert.” Ulrich corrected sternly which Jeralt didn’t bother to reply to.

“Training?” He recognized the voice as Donovan’s. He slightly remembered him from the amount of screaming he had done when he first started riding a horse. It was hard to believe that the scared boy who always got his hair chewed on by the horses in the stables from the academy was now considered the best horse-rider among the Lionguards… or so Lambert claimed.

“That’s right. I want to see how you fare in battle.” He explained, “Then we’ll see in which area you should aim to improve.” 

“Improve?” Donovan repeated once more in a curious tone.

One of the Lionguards riding a pegasus commented in a sarcastic tone, “Wow. The echoes in this field are so clear.”

“Colette.” The other Lionguard riding a pegasus scolded.

Donovan turned towards the pegasus-riding Lionguard and stuck his tongue out at her. She retaliated by sticking her tongue out at him while making a rude gesture with her hand.

“A Lionguard must be the epitome of what a knight aspire to be.” Ulrich stated, making both Donovan and Colette straighten almost immediately, “As such, if there is an area we can improve, it is our duty to do so.”

Everyone grew silent for a moment before Jeralt said, “Uh, yeah. What he said.”

Donovan and Colette snorted. Jeralt rolled his eyes, even though they would have a hard time seeing it due to his lion helmet, before saying, “Anyway, you all have five minutes to prepare whatever you need for this training. Remember, it’s all of you versus me. You fall into the ground, you’re out and you stay on the ground until the end.”

“A bit too cocky, wouldn’t you say?” Ulrich asked without any inflection yet Jeralt could hear the curiosity hiding in his tone. 

“Figured it would be a good handicap.” He replied nonchalantly, making Ulrich chuckle.

“We shall see how good you are then as well… Sir ‘Giraud’.” The older Lionguard said before pulling on the reins of his horse. His horse began to walk away from them as he ordered, “Meeting, now!”

All of the other Lionguards immediately followed Ulrich.

Except the lone Lionguard who had no mount…

If Jeralt was correct, that Lionguard would be Victor, a commoner from Fraldarius territory who rose through the ranks after winning the annual Blaiddtarian tournament. 

Jeralt raised an eyebrow as Victor approached him and stopped next to him. He crossed his arms as he informed Jeralt in a low voice, “Two members of the Royal Court are here.”

Jeralt kept his gaze on the impromptu meeting the other Lionguards were having a few feet away from them as he asked nonchalantly, “Oh? Is that so surprising?”

Victor hummed for a moment before stating, “House Cynewig has always had a close relationship with the Grand Knight Order so seeing Marquis Cynewig isn’t really a surprise. I’m more surprised he’s not drunk yet.” 

Jeralt snorted at that. Everyone knew that the marquis loved his drink as much as he loved to fight. It was actually surprising how the marquis could function like normal even though he was never seen without a glass or a flask filled with various alcoholic drinks in hand. Even though he was a well known drunk, it was still a great honor to be trained by the head of House Cynewig to anyone who aspired to be a knight.

Many say that the crest of Cynewig rendered all poison ineffective, including alcoholic drinks.

If that was true, Jeralt would happily trade his crest of Seiros for that crest instead.

“Duke Weissvogel is here with his two sons.” Victor added, making Jeralt frown.

“Two?” He repeated as he slightly turned his body so it would seem like he was staring at Victor while his eyes were trained at their audience.

He immediately saw the duke as the blond hair and the dark green coat stuck out against the sea of silver and grey. In front of him were three children, two of which had the same blond hair and one who had black hair. The older of the blond child couldn’t have been a year or so older than his daughter while the two other children were most probably younger by a year or two. 

“His oldest son doesn’t have a crest.” His fellow Lionguard informed him, “So he legitimized the son he had with one of House Weissvogel’s maids when they found out the boy has a minor crest.”

“And the kid with the black hair?” Jeralt asked. Realizing that the black-haired boy was holding hands with the younger blond-haired boy, he groaned, “Please don’t tell me that’s the half-brother of the kid with the crest. I can’t really take that much opera-worthy drama in my life.”

Victor snorted before replying, “That’s Theodore Schwarzen’s boy.”

“The head of the merchant guild?” Jeralt asked in a confused tone.

“And the Representative of the People in the Royal Court.” Victor added which made Jeralt frown.

“What’s Duke Weissvogel doing with the son of a commoner?” Jeralt mumbled out loud.

“A commoner who has a voice in our majesty’s court.” Victor clarified. 

At those words, Jeralt’s brows furrowed. Count Weissvogel was firmly on the side of the nobility so if he was mingling with Theodore Schwarzen, that could only mean two things…

“Just be careful not to do anything that will embarrass His Majesty in front of them.” Victor warned in an almost nonchalant way, forcing Jeralt to halt his musing to listen to the usually quiet Lionguard, “I’ll tell the others to not hit you on the head.”

The oddly specific restriction surprised Jeralt and it took him a moment to realize that it was because people would recognize him if they see his face. He nodded and casually said, “Then I won’t hit any of you on the head too.”

His fellow Lionguard simply waved at him once before joining the other Lionguards. Jeralt patiently waited for them to finish talking, observing them.

Both of the late queen’s Lionguards were pegasus knights but Colette used a bow and Katya used a lance while Lambert’s lone female Lionguard was a Holy Knight with a sword as her favored weapon. Donovan was a Holy Knight as well but used a lance while Ulrich was a Great Knight with an axe and a shield. Jeralt wasn’t sure what Victor was but he believed he was either a Mortal Savant or a Dark Knight… who didn’t have a horse. He really wasn’t sure what was up with that but to each their own, he guessed. What he was sure of was that Victor used a sword like most knights hailing from Fraldarius territory. 

They finally finished strategizing and they stayed a few feet away from Jeralt. Ulrich was in front while Donovan and Korre stayed on either side of him but they were a foot behind the older knight while both Pegasus Knights flew above them. He could barely see Victor between the two Holy Knight, covered by Ulrich’s massive armor and steed. 

“Will it be alright to start now, Sir Giraud?” Ulrich asked loudly for the sake of their audience.

Jeralt only raised his head to give them a thumbs up, making Ulrich sigh. 

“Very well.” Ulrich placed his shield in front of him as he declared, “Prepare yourself!”

Ulrich’s horse charged him together with Donovan while Korre raised her hands as a magic circle appeared in front of her palms.

Jeralt’s horse jumped back to evade Ulrich’s axe while Jeralt lowered his upper body to evade Donovan’s lance. He grabbed the lance and pulled it, making the younger knight lunge towards him. He grabbed Donovan by the collar of his chest armor before throwing him off his horse, making the poor knight yelp. Jeralt’s horse jumped once more to evade another of swing from Ulrich’s axe before taking a few steps back as a column of ice sprouted just to Jeralt’s right. Jeralt pulled the reins of his horse so that the horse would jump back, barely evading Victor’s stab from above. 

He had to give them props for using the column of ice to attack from above. 

Creative… but risky.

Victor barely got to raise his sword to block the kick from Jeralt’s horse but the force still had him flying away from them, landing on Donovan who groaned. The elder knight raised his shield to block Jeralt’s thrust and he pushed his horse forward, making the horse bump against Ulrich’s horse. The Great Knight’s horse neighed and reared, forcing Ulrich to grab the reins, unintentionally lowering his axe and giving Jeralt the opening to slap the Great Knight’s horse with the shaft of his lance. The horse neighed once more and started to gallop away from him as his master tried to regain control over the spooked animal. 

Jeralt saw the moving shadows from above him and made his horse jump back in time to evade Katya’s swooping strike. He leaned back as an arrow wheezed past him before clicking his tongue. His horse galloped straight to Katya while her pegasus started to fly away as he casually blocked the arrows continuously shot at him. Using the momentum of her gallop, Jeralt’s horse jumped towards the flying pegasus, surprising the Pegasus Knight. Katya could only gasp as she was hit right on the chest by Jeralt’s lance and she fell from her pegasus. 

Thankfully, her pegasus was not that far off the ground yet so she fell on the ground with a thud but no broken bones. Jeralt’s horse jumped in a zig-zag formation as they charged Colette’s pegasus, frustrating the bow user as she couldn’t aim quick enough to shoot but, before they could reach her, a column of ice appeared between them, making his horse rear up. Jeralt heard Korre’s horse galloping towards them and turned to face her. 

He was momentarily surprised by the Lionguard’s stance and the rapier in her hand but quickly recovered to block her strike. The strike was stronger than he expected and he could feel the magic crackle around tip but he managed to redirect the strike by tilting his lance, making Korre lose her balance as gravity forced her body to fall. She gripped the reins tightly as she ordered, “Tilt right!”

Her horse tilted his entire body to the right, making it easier for Korre to pull herself up, as the horse galloped away from them. Jeralt’s own horse jumped to the right and Jeralt quickly threw his lance towards Colette. Colette’s pegasus easily evaded the lance but Jeralt managed to hit her with his dagger, smacking her shoulder with the butt of the dagger. Colette yelped as her body recoiled at the hit, unintentionally pulling the reins of her pegasus too hard and the pegasus trashed around. Colette tried to get control of her pegasus while Jeralt quickly retrieved his dagger and threw it once more, this time hitting Colette’s hand and forcing the young woman to let go of the reins. She yelped as she fell to the ground and groaned as she stayed down.

“Hey, Colette! Which hurts more, your body or your pride?!” Donovan shouted from where he was lying down.

“Shut up, Donovan!” Both Colette and Victor shouted back.

They remained silent for a few moments before Colette admitted in a small voice, “My pride.”

Donovan sighed as he admitted, “Me too, Cols. Me too.”

“I wished I landed near Katya instead.” Victor admitted in a deadpan tone.

“Speaking of which…” Donovan shouted, “Katya! You doing alright?!”

“There’s a cloud that looks like a lion!” Katya shouted back, making Donovan raise his head slightly to stare at the sky near Katya.

“What lion-” Donovan snorted when he saw the cloud Katya was talking about and shouted back, “That’s not a lion! That’s a sunflower!”

“It’s a lion!” Katya retorted and it soon devolved into an argument while Victor just covered his face before letting out a muffled scream.

While the defeated Lionguards stayed on the ground, Jeralt managed to retrieve his lance and dagger in time to see the horses of both Ulrich and Korre galloping towards him. He readied his lance but stopped when he noticed that Korre had stood on her horse. He watched as Ulrich raised his shield above his head and Korre jumped off her horse, landing on her fellow Lionguard’s shield. The Great Knight pushed the shield towards Jeralt’s direction and the female Lionguard used the momentum to propel herself towards him. A magic circle appeared on her left palm as she lunged at him. He parried her attack and pushed her away. As she twirled away from him, she quickly hit him with a blast of ice magic that formed into a huge ball of ice which he sliced in half.

Strangely enough, the ball of ice evaporated around him as soon as his blade connected and all he could see was the white mist surrounding him.

He could still hear the galloping of a horse as it neared him and he lowered his body as he clicked his tongue. His horse immediately started galloping forward with his lance perpendicular to his shoulder, held straight by pressing part of the shaft against his armpit. As the white mist parted, he felt his lance hit something. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust before he saw that he had hit Ulrich on the shoulder as he had intended.

What he did not intend was for the older knight to take the hit and let the lance pierce through his shoulder instead of stopping which would have resulted in a bruise or a minor stab wound at worst. The Great Knight gripped Jeralt’s lance tightly as he ordered, “Now!”

He turned around in time to see Korre dash out of the mist, rapier at the ready. Jeralt let go of his lance and pulled the reins of his horse but the female Lionguard was faster, attacking him with rapid thrusting strikes that focused on the weak points of his armor. He winced as he felt her strikes hit him hard. Even with the protection of the padded defensive jacket they wore underneath, her rapier still pierced through before his horse could jump away from them. She ran towards him relentless like a beast chasing its prey while Ulrich pulled the bloody lance out of his shoulder. 

Knowing that his horse would not be able to keep up at close combat, he quickly jumped off his horse and slightly bent his knees. He leaned his upper body to the right and evaded the strike aimed at his left shoulder before grabbing her outstretched right arm and throwing her over his shoulder. 

Korre hit the ground with a thud but she made no sounds. Instead, she stared at him with wide eyes as she breathed heavily, letting go of her rapier.

He turned to face the Great Knight as his horse walked towards him. His horse stopped a few feet away from him and Ulrich threw his lance back, impaling it to the ground a foot away from Jeralt. Ulrich readied his shield and axe as his shoulder bled, “Take your weapon! I will not fight an unarmed man.”

Jeralt took a few steps forward and slightly bent his knees as he brought his fists up by his head as he replied, “I don’t need any weapon to take you down.”

Ulrich’s grip on his axe tightened as he warned, “That arrogance of yours shall be your downfall.”

Jeralt silently outstretched his right hand, palm up, and flicked four fingers towards his palm twice quickly. He didn’t need to see the Great Knight’s face to know he was glaring at him as he shouted, “Very well! If words cannot touch you then my axe shall!”

With that declaration, Ulrich’s horse galloped towards him. Jeralt remained stationary before suddenly rushing to Ulrich’s right side. He grabbed the axe as it swung towards him before jumping to slam his open palm onto the stab wound. Ulrich growled in painful rage as Jeralt used his entire weight to drag him off his horse. As the Great Knight fell to the ground, Jeralt placed his foot on his chest as he finally replied, “And your pride will be your downfall.”

At the sound of the final Lionguard falling to the ground, silence prevailed all over the field.

Until someone started to clap. 

Jeralt turned towards the sound and saw that it was Duke Weissvogel who had started to clap, immediately followed by the rest of their audience. His two sons remained quiet as they clapped while the black-haired child clapped enthusiastically. Marquis Cynewig simply raised his flask at him before taking a long swing. 

The other Lionguards walked towards Jeralt while Ulrich stood. Silently, Korre raised a hand towards the older knight’s wounded shoulder and a magic circle appeared briefly before his shoulder was bathed in the light of Faith magic. 

Jeralt didn’t bother to wait for the applause to finish as he said, “Your cooperation with one another is shit.”

Before anyone could argue, he explained, “You all followed Ulrich’s initial plan and stuck to it even when it should have been obvious it wasn’t working.”

He turned towards the Great Knight as he continued, “You didn’t assimilate the two Pegasus Knights in your plan. Katya could have been a better first attacker than Donovan who could have used magic instead together with Korre.”

His next words were meant for everyone, “Just because you're not protecting the same Blaiddyd doesn't mean you shouldn't cooperate with one another. I know Katya just transferred a year ago to Lambert’s service and Colette is serving Lambert’s kid but, in the battlefield, you are all allies.”

He walked away from them and pulled out his lance as he continued, “You watch each other’s backs.”

He turned towards them and ordered, “Again. Same conditions, no mounts.”

He readied his lance as he added playfully, “And try to stay on your feet longer this time.”

The Lionguards tried to take down Jeralt three more times. Twice, without their mounts and, one time, they tried once more with their mounts.

Each time, they end up being the ones being taken down.

Jeralt did get to assess their strengths and weaknesses by the end.

He first told Donovan, “You rely too much on your horse. Your lancework is passable but your strength is definitely on your Faith magic. You almost hit me with that Aura last time.”

Donovan preened at that which Colette lightly kicked him behind the lower leg for. Jeralt turned his attention to the bow using Pegasus Knight as he told her, “And you. If you’re fighting as a team, the archer’s main focus should be supporting their allies. Your arrows are meant to keep the enemy busy or incapacitate them before they could attack your allies, not for you to try and aim for a kill at the expense of your allies’ safety.”

Colette lowered her head while Katya placed a gentle hand on her back. Seeing that, Jeralt turned his attention to the other Pegasus Knight as he said, “You, on the other hand, rely too much on your initial strikes. You react slow when your first strike don’t connect and that leaves you open for counters. Always think of your next move and plan at least three steps ahead for both when your attack connects or when it doesn’t.” 

He turned towards the sword wielding knight and said, “You’re fast and you strike hard. You’re also good at improvising but all of your improvisations only count on you and your skills. You don’t take in consideration your allies so the moment you improvised, you become alone.”

Victor nodded at his words silently and Jeralt turned his attention to Korre before saying, “You easily lose control when you start using your sword. You become too aggressive and you no longer take into consideration your allies. You also focus on your physical attacks when that happens, like you forget you have spells on your disposal.”

She lowered her head and remained silent which Jeralt didn’t mind. Instead, he turned towards the oldest of them and said bluntly, “You're the worst. You would sacrifice yourself to ensure a victory.” 

“Dying for His Majesty would be an honor.” Ulrich retorted proudly which only made Jeralt’s next words sharper. 

“Dying means the end.” Jeralt corrected, glaring at the Great Knight as he added, “You're useless to Lambert as a corpse.” 

He turned to face the rest as he reminded them, “Only the living can protect their king. You swore the rest of your life to the Blaiddyd you serve. You do not get to choose where you will die. That choice belongs to Lambert and him alone. As long as he does not give the order, you are not allowed to die.”

No one bothered to correct him that the Blaiddyd Colette was serving was the crown prince and not the king.

“Tomorrow, we’ll start to train each and every one of you on your weaknesses and co-op training.” He announced before glaring at them as he asked, “Any questions?”

“No, sir!” Everyone replied, including Ulrich. 

“Good.” He nodded before ordering, “We’ll end it here. Return to your post.”

They bowed as they replied in unison, “Thank you, sir!”

He watched them as they start to leave. Seeing the lone female Holy Knight walking away, he called out, “Korre. A moment.”

Victor and Donovan also turned around so he added, “Alone.”

The two Lionguards glanced at their friend for a second before turning around and walking away without a single word. Korre walked towards him and stopped when he was an arm’s length away. She remained silent, waiting for him to start. He stared at her. With the lion helmet, he couldn’t really see the expression on her face but he could see from the way she stood that she was wary of him but wasn’t hostile. He placed a hand on his waist as he asked, “Are you from Galatea territory?”

“We have cast away our lineage and past when we became a Lionguard.” She replied in a cool detached tone. 

He hummed for a moment before he explained, “I’m only asking because of the way you handled that rapier. People who studied the way of the sword in Fraldarius and Charon have similar techniques and those two are the territories that mainly uses swords. Galatea is known for their Pegasus Knights but they also use swords as well, more specifically rapiers. They have a different style of swordsmanship which they got from the time they were part of Leicester Alliance as House Daphnel. The way you handle your rapier is quite similar to those from Galatea territory.”

“Is that so?” She asked in a calm tone but Jeralt noticed how her body became more rigid.

Realizing that she was not taking the bait he had dangled in front of her, he changed tactics. He nodded as he clarified, “I’m not trying to accuse you or anything. I’m just…”

He hummed once more and placed his hand on his chin as he rested his elbow against his crossed arm. He thought about it for a few moments before asking, “Let’s say, hypothetically, you know someone who was from the Alliance and had sworn fealty to the king of the Kingdom. Wouldn't you be curious why that would happen if, in this hypothetical scenario, no one knows anything about that person other than the fact that that person personally approached the king while he had been in a diplomatic visit to House Riegan?”

The female Lionguard was silent for a few seconds, probably wondering how much Lambert had told him about his Lionguards or why he bothered asking a question about House Galatea when he knew from the beginning it wasn’t correct, before she asked in a calm voice hiding her real emotions, “Perhaps this person in your hypothetical scenario heard that the crest of Blaiddyd can kill any monster.”

She lowered her head as she said softly, “Any kind of beast, no matter what they used to be.” 

He raised an eyebrow at her words but, before he could say anything, she raised her head and asked, “What about you, Sir ‘Giraud’?” 

“What about me?” He asked as he slightly tilted his head.

“The way you move when you ride a horse is quite unique. If I am being honest, your movements seem more compatible to one who rides a flying mount instead.” She explained, her tone both cautious and curious, “Are you more experienced in riding wyverns?” 

He chuckled as he shook his head. His lips curved into a small smile hardly seen due to his helmet as he confessed, “I tried flying a wyvern once. It’s… a strange feeling.”

“Is that so…” She replied before asking, “But the way you fight-”

“... is an old form of fighting.” He interrupted and his smile became mirthless as he added, “No one uses it anymore.” 

He sighed as he raised his head to stare at the sky, saying melancholically, “Just me.” 

**Harpstring Moon, 1164 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius**

The birth of Felix Hugo Fraldarius brought many changes in Castle Fraldarius. The extensive and complicated labor weakened the duchess’ already known frail health and she had been confined in her private rooms for the past three months with the healers checking up on her twice a day. Because of this, her children and husband would visit her for afternoon tea every day instead. On top of this, the talks with the Leicester Alliance to open their borders once more were still the most urgent task that the duke had. To ensure the peace and order of Fraldarius territory during these trying times, the duke’s younger brother remained in Castle Fraldarius and took over the duties and responsibilities in governing Fraldarius territory, leaving his own land in Fraldarius territory to his trusted retainer, a crestless member of a vassal noble house under House Fraldarius. 

During the middle of the Great Tree Moon, Sreng began a long campaign once more and House Gautier marched to defend Fort Appeven, readying for a long drawn out siege. In response, House Fraldarius and House Galatea sent some of their knights and soldiers to support House Gautier while the other northern noble houses mobilized their own knights to patrol the northern territories in an effort to ensure none would take advantage of the ongoing Sreng campaign to pillage any villages. No other support came from any of the southern or central kingdom nobles. 

In Castle Fraldarius, Byleth’s governess had began to take her to the lower castle every morning to participate in the first morning mass held in Castle Fraldarius’ chapel together with Hunydd and her son since the start of the new imperial year. Byleth didn’t really pay attention to what the priest was talking about and her governess didn’t bother to explain any of it to her afterwards. All the older woman did was instruct her in the proper posture when praying and the words to the hymns. 

Byleth did like singing the hymns. She would sometimes sing it to her little brother whenever he would have problems trying to sleep. No one knew why but the little lord always seemed to calm down when he hears his sister’s singing. Her singing helped calmed him down but there was only one song that made him fall asleep and no one knew where the little lady could have learned the song as it was not a hymn nor any lullaby common in Faerghus. When her nanny asked her about it, she simply shrugged and told her nanny that she heard it somewhere but didn’t know where from. Elster seemed to like the song and started to hum it whenever he would be doing his chores. The humming was beginning to become common in Castle Fraldarius because of the little lord’s wet nurse’s and Elster’s humming as well as the little lady’s singing. Some of the knights even swore they heard the duke’s younger brother hum it while he was doing maintenance in the armory for his lance and shield. 

After every mass, they would stroll around the marketplace of the lower castle as it begins its day. The people were a bit cautious at first but they had started to warm up to Little Lady Fraldarius. It helped that she seemed close and friendly with her nanny and her nanny's son as well as being polite to everyone she talked to. The two Fraldarius knights she always had with her whenever she visited the lower castle were courteous and polite as well, having been threatened in vivid details on what will happen to them if they make a move without being ordered to by the governess. The little lady and her entourage would always take the time to buy a small bouquet of flowers which she will bring with her to her daily family afternoon tea and freshly baked sweet buns that Elster would gobble all up before even getting back to the castle. She would always be able to keep three sweet buns for her and Glenn (Glenn only gets one). She tried to give one to her little brother once but she was told the boy was still too young to eat it so she started buying a ribbon with different colors each day instead. She tied each new ribbon on a piece of stick that her uncle had smoothened for her and her baby brother seem to like it when she would dangle the ribbons in front of him and sway them around. 

The wandering cats in Castle Fraldarius also seemed to like Felix’s ribbon stick. 

When she had asked her governess once they were back in her room the reason why she was visiting the lower castle that much when not even Glenn or her father visit there most of the time, the dark-haired woman explained, “Nobles are responsible in taking care of their lands and their people. Many nobles assume their people as infants, needing their firm and guiding hand. That is a grave misunderstanding.”

Katherine stared at her as she explained, “The people are more like dogs. Treat them well and they will become loyal to you. Treat them poorly and they will either run away or bite back.” 

She placed a book on the table in front of her charge as she continued, “To the people here in Castle Fraldarius, the duke is the very picture of a knightly noble, loyal to House Blaiddyd and a fair ruler. The people living in Fraldarius territory are loyal to him because they believe he is a good man.”

The older woman sat on the chair across the little lady before continuing, “When Little Lord Glenn and Little Lord Felix grow up, they would most probably follow their father’s footsteps as knightly nobles. The betrothment between Little Lord Glenn and Little Lady Ingrid of House Galatea has been finalized. Since he holds a crest, he would most probably become head of House Galatea if his betrothed is declared crestless. Even if the little lady of House Galatea has a crest, their betrothment would continue as it would be seen as dishonorable to dissolve such a promise in Faerghus. This means that the heir House Fraldarius would now either fall to you or Little Lord Felix.”

The young girl tilted her head as she reminded her governess, “But I don’t have a crest of Fraldarius so I can’t be the heir.”

“That would be right in normal circumstances.” Katherine nodded and took out the small wooden toy pieces that one of the knights had given the little lady as a thank you for inviting him to evening tea. She placed a princess piece and two knight pieces in front of her charge. She placed her index finger on top of one of the knight pieces as she explained, “Little Lord Glenn will become a member of House Galatea via marriage. Unless House Fraldarius and House Galatea merge their territories and become one house, this would mean Little Lord Glenn cannot become the head of House Fraldarius anymore.”

She flicked the knight piece, causing it to fall down. She placed her index finger on top of the remaining knight piece as she continued, “If Little Lord Felix has a crest, he would become the heir to House Fraldarius but if he doesn’t…”

She pushed both the knight piece and the princess piece forward as she continued, “The duchess’ life would be in danger if they try for another child and the duke is too honorable to… do what most nobles do in this sort of situation.”

“This would mean that for House Fraldarius to keep their status and lands, either you or Little Lord Felix would have to marry a noble with a crest who is also amicable in marrying into House Fraldarius and bring to this world a child with a Fraldarius crest.” She explained as she placed her index finger on the princess piece, “As you are the older Fraldarius, the logical choice to become the heir would be you. However…”

She moved her finger forward and backward, causing the princess piece to wobble at her movements, “There are many noble women who’ve experienced nothing but misfortunes after being married off to a crest-bearing husband. But, as your husband would be marrying into House Fraldarius, that would mean you would remain here in Castle Fraldarius.”

She lifted her finger off the princess piece and the piece wobbled for a moment but remained upright, “As long as everyone remains loyal to those who bear the Fraldarius name, your safety would be guaranteed.”

Seeing the furrowed brows of her charge, she chuckled softly and shook her head before saying, “Don’t worry about it for now. It would probably be far off before such a thing becomes a problem. All you have to do is keep doing what you are doing and stay polite to the people of the lower castle. The rest should fall into place by itself.”

“Not to mention, this is all a what if scenario that hinges on Little Lord Felix having a crest or not.” She reminded her charge with a small smile, “Also…”

Byleth tilted her head as she watched the older woman placed a prince piece next to the princess piece before saying vaguely, “There are many other paths you could walk on.”

Before the little girl could react, her governess tapped the book she had placed on the table earlier and instructed, “Starting today, you will read this book out loud.”

Knowing that their conversation was over, Byleth opened the book as she replied, “Yes, Miss Katherine.” 

“Good. You may begin.”

The book that her governess had given her to read turned out to be an introduction to magic. There were a lot of words she couldn’t understand but her governess patiently explained it in words and examples she could comprehend. 

When she had asked if she would be learning magic, the older woman told her that she would start on the practical aspect of magic once Byleth can understand the principle behind it.

Byleth wasn’t sure what she meant by that. 

From what she could understand, magic was created by using one’s body as a kind of center that absorbs the energy around them to their body before using that energy to perform the spell. That was why it was necessary for those performing magic to wear clothes made of specific fabrics or specific metals that will not hinder the absorption and usage of the energy. 

“For example, all of my clothes are made of a fabric that doesn’t hinder my absorption of energy.” Her governess had explained, letting her touch the sleeve of her dress. It didn’t feel any different from the clothes the little lady would usually wear so she wasn’t sure how it was really any different from normal fabric. 

According to the book, it wasn’t impossible to perform magic if one wasn’t wearing clothes made of the magic friendly fabric but it would take longer to absorb the necessary energy for a specific spell and the more complex the spell was, the longer it would take to absorb the necessary amount of energy. The older woman explained that using magic without the proper clothes was usually done out of necessity or emergency and would usually have spells that were weaker than they could have been had the caster been wearing the proper clothes. 

“What about the knights who uses magic?” She had asked then, remembering how her governess’ opponent during her tournament had been a knight who used magic.

The dark-haired woman hummed for a moment before explaining, “People who wishes to wear armor but still be able to cast magic efficiently have a different type of armor than what those who do not perform magic usually wear. These armors are made of different kinds of metals including a specific metal that does not hinder magic. They mixed these different metals together and create an armor from that mixture.”

“Of course, because there are other metals mixed into it, this means that their spells are weaker than what they could have been able to cast had they been wearing a full attire made of the proper fabric.” She added, making Byleth tilt her head. 

“But why don’t they just make the armor from the same magic metal then?” She asked, frowning slightly.

“An armor made purely of the magic friendly metal is… not really hard enough to protect the wearer. The other metals are there to harden the armor so that it could protect the wearer.” She explained patiently before pointing at the book once more, “There’s no need to focus too much on this part for now. Keep reading.” 

“Yes, Miss Katherine.” She replied and dutifully continued to read out loud the book that has been given to her. She wasn’t sure why but it felt like her governess wanted her to learn this as quickly as possible. Normally, the older woman would have indulged all of her questions with detailed explanations.

As Byleth read out loud the book in her hands, she wondered why she would need to learn magic as soon as possible.

On the twenty-fifth day of Harpstring Moon, the Gautier boys were sent to Castle Fraldarius by Margrave Gautier as the siege of Fort Appeven continued to intensify.

* * *

*****Lore and Information For This Chapter*****

**Zero-Sum Game**

During the time of this chapter (1164), Adrestia, Faerghus and Leicester would be of similar (if not the same) military might with one another. Adrestia may hold almost half of Fodlan under its wing which would mean they should, in theory, have the largest man power. However, both Faerghus and Leicester have most of the hero relics passed down to them by the Elite Ten. Faerghus has the hero relics of Blaiddyd, Fraldarius, Gautier, Dominic, Charon and Daphnel (via House Galatea) while Leicester has the hero relics of Riegan, Goneril and Gloucester. The empire only has the hero relic of Lamine which currently belongs to her descendants, House Martritz. Even if the sacred weapons are taken into consideration, the empire would only have the Tathlum Bow (from House Martritz as well) while Faerghus would have the Sword of Moralta (from House Fraldarius). The addition of the hero relics under Faerghus rule is what keeps their military might at the same level as Adrestia. What Leicester lack in both relics and in man power, they make up with its location. They could easily stop any invasion due having Armid river against Adrestia and Ailell against Faerghus, making any march to Leicester quite an endeavour as Adrestia would have to cross the great bridge of Myrddin while Faerghus would have to either cross the valley of torment or the mountain ranges that are a part of the Oghma Mountains separating Galatea from Daphnel which is heavily guarded around the borders. Of course, the Church of Seiros’ neutrality is the deciding factor in this hypothetical war. With its strategic position, Garreg Mach could be used to safely march any army to any of the three nations (although the march to Adrestia would have to go through Oghma Mountains so it would be better to take either Arianrhod or Myrddin instead). So, if any of the nation wishes to win in this hypothetical war, the first thing they must do would be to either gain the support of the church or to take it out immediately.

In the canon timeline, Faerghus’ military might heavily suffered after the death of King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd. The quelling of the revolts of the minor lords and the dispatching of bandits (which has become normal after the death of King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd) meant casualties and lost of members of different knight orders. The Grand Knight Order of Fhirdiad was also chained to the capital city in fear of Fhirdiad being attacked while the knights have been dispatched to quell the revolts or the bandits near the capital city. Because of this, the other knight orders had to be deployed instead. It has gotten so bad that the kingdom had no choice but to ask assistance from the Church of Seiros in helping deal with the bandits. 

**Knighting Ceremony in Faerghus**

Due to the different knight orders in Faerghus, certain noble houses developed their own knight ceremony yet the basics remain the same for all of them. The person to be knighted would kneel in front of the one knighting them. There would be words said then a ceremonial weapon would be tapped on each shoulder of the one being knighted. The ceremonial weapon in question is usually a sword like House Charon’s Thunderbrand and House Fraldarius’ Sword of Moralta but there are a few exceptions like House Blaiddyd’s Areadbhar, House Gautier’s Lance of Ruin and House Galatea’s Luin. Some would also have events and/or practices before the knighting ceremony. House Fraldarius would have a small tournament with those who are about to be knighted would duel one another before the knighting ceremony. If there was only one person to be knighted, that person would duel the ones who were knighted before that person. House Gautier had a similar tradition of dueling the wielder of the Lance of Ruin instead of a tournament. House Charon and House Gaspard would have a member of the church (usually the grand bishop of the Western Church) bless the ones to be knighted. House Galatea’s Pegasus Knight Order would have the knighting ceremony start after the ones to be knighted fly their pegasus from Galatea territory to Gautier territory where they must retrieve a sealed parchment from House Gautier that confirms they have managed to travel to Gautier territory. This practice is done to further the bonds between the rider and their pegasus as well. 

A knighting ceremony is usually held in the throne room or the courtyard of the main castle of the noble house the knight would be serving but there are some exceptions. House Gautier has the knighting ceremony in Fort Appeven, the fort separating Fodlan from Sreng. House Galatea has the knighting ceremony in an open field near Castle Galatea so that the pegasi could join the ceremony. House Fraldarius usually has the knighting ceremony in Castle Fraldarius’ courtyard but there have been known exceptions where the knighting ceremony was done at the flower clearing in the Forest of Silence. Depending on how many would be knighted, the knighting ceremony for the Grand Knight Order would either be held in the throne room or in the courtyard in Castle Blaiddyd. 

Once a knight has been officially dubbed, they would receive a silver sword from the head of the noble house they would be serving. The pommel of this sword would usually have the crest of the noble house etched on it or sometimes a lion’s or a wolf’s head would be carved instead. The wolf’s head is mainly popular in the northern kingdom territories while the lion’s head is mainly popular in central kingdom territories. A Lionguard’s pommel is also carved into a lion’s head but it is special as the eyes of the lion would be a small gem found in the mines of Faerghus’ Sacred Gwenhwyvar called Winter Tear. These gems are rare as the mines have long since dried out and each gem would be removed from the pommel and stored in Castle Blaiddyd’ vault whenever a Lionguard retired after the Blaiddyd they have been serving died or before the sword would be buried with them when they die. Jeralt’s griffon pommel still had the two Winter Tear gems and are used as part of the griffon's outstretched wings. 

It is a common practice in Faerghus to present the sword the knight has been given to their next of kin when they die except in the case of the Lionguards as they are buried with it. Because of this, some of the knights would have two swords on their belt, their own knight sword and the knight sword of their late kin. 

**Magic and Its Dependency on Certain Fabrics and Metals**

Not much is known about the origin of the magic in Fodlan. The common belief is that magic came as a blessing of the goddess herself. One of the things that are well known is the limitation of magic in accordance to the caster’s clothes. To be able to perform a spell, one must be able to absorb the energy around them. Some would call this energy as the very life of the world itself while there are those who would call this energy as simply the air around them instead. There are those who liked both theories and decide to call this energy as the breath of life. By absorbing this energy into the caster’s body, the caster can change that energy to a specific spell. This change is triggered by the magic circle that appears on their palm (or their magic wand) and time between the appearance of the magic circle and the activation of the spell itself would be the time spent in changing that raw energy into that specific spell. Magical Exhaustion is caused when the body exhausts itself changing the energy it has absorbed into a specific spell (for more info about magical exhaustion, please check the notes in Chapter 4). The absorption of energy has been known to become hindered by clothes and armors. Due to this, spells casted without the proper attire either takes too long to cast or are significantly weaker as the caster sacrificed the spell’s power in exchange for the same speed to cast the spell. (It is frowned upon to remove all articles of clothing just to cast a spell but it has been known to happen… and no one likes talking about it.) 

The fabric and metal that Katherine and Byleth were talking about are specific types of fabric and metal that have been confirmed by experts in the field of magic (most of which came from Fhirdiad’s School of Sorcery) to not hinder the body’s absorption of energy and have also been confirmed to protect the body from magical attacks. However, these fabric and metal are not able to protect the body from non-magical attacks such as blades nor is the metal hard enough to be forged into a passable armor. To counter this, the armor of someone who wishes to perform magic would be made by mixing the known magic friendly metal with different other metals that will harden the armor so it could be used to protect the wearer from blades and other non-magical attacks. This mixed metal is commonly known as damascus steel. The downside of this kind of armor is that it would have a lower durability than a normal armor, making it easier to take damage from non-magical attacks and, because it is not a purely made of the magic friendly metal, the caster’s spell would be weaker than how they should have been able to cast it had they worn the proper attire if they focused on speed or the spells would take far longer than usual to activate if they focused on power. On the other hand, armor made of Damascus steel would offer more protection to magical attacks than normal armor. Damascus steel is also used for the magic wands and magic-based weapons such as the Levin sword. Magic-based attack incorporated into a non-magical weapon (example: Frozen Lance) does not need to use a weapon forged from Damascus steel as the magic needed for this type of attack comes from the user and not the weapon itself. 

**Names of Characters Appearing/Being Mentioned In This Chapter** (Which May Become Important or Not):

Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius (birth name Byleth Eisner), daughter of the Duke of Fraldarius

Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Duke of Fraldarius

Ainara Violette Fraldarius (nee Mateus), Duchess of Fraldarius

Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, firstborn son of the Duke of Fraldarius

Felix Hugo Fraldarius, second son of the Duke of Fraldarius 

Lord Loog Alistair Fraldarius, Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius’ Stuffed Lion

Luciano Hektor Fraldarius, younger brother of the Duke of Fraldarius 

Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Crown Prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

Jeralt Reus Eisner, former knight of Seiros and known as the Lionguard ‘Giraud’

Gustave Eddie Dominic, Chevalier Invaincu of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and First Knight of King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd

Lucis Croire Egrette, Duke of Egrette and member of the Royal Court

Helmuth Breane Weissvogel, Duke of Weissvogel and member of the Royal Court

Wishart Albert Weissvogel, crestless legitimate son of the Duke of Weissvogel

Ulysses Karel Weissvogel, bastard crest-bearing son of the Duke of Weissvogel and heir to House Weissvogel

Count Leonardo Cael Gellum, Count of Gellum and a member of the Royal Court

Marquis Arnaud Nicolai Cynewig, Marquis of Cynewig and a member of the Royal Court

Constance Rawson Cynewig, son of the Marquis of Cynewig and a Chevalier Lieutenant of the Grand Knight Order of Fhirdiad

Abraham Gauis, Court Doctor to the Royal Family

Cornelia Arnim, Court Mage to the Royal Family

Theodore Schwarzen, Representative of the People and Head of the Merchant Guild in Fhidriad

Rheinallt Schwarzen, Son of Theodore Schwarzen

Hunydd Powe, Fraldarius servant and nanny to Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius

Elster Powe, son of Hunydd Powe

Katherine Hohenheim, Byleth Fraldarius' personal governess

Lambert’s Lionguards (Giraud, Ulrich, Viktor, Korre, Donovan and Katya)

Dimitri’s Lionguards (Colette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have childhood friends shenanigans... and maybe feels... maaaayybbbeeee XD


	7. 1164 (Garland Moon - Verdant Rain Moon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plague may have already been defeated by the borders of both Adrestia and Leicester have yet to be opened. The siege from Sreng is also still ongoing. But all of that barely registered with Byleth as her magic studies continue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to [@kikuriehime](https://twitter.com/kikuriehime/status/1182753293426216960?s=09) for the support! Thank you for the coffee! And also, happy birthday! I hope this chapter brightens your day. :)  
Please check out Savanir’s [ Rodrigue and Byleth Father-Daughter Bonding](https://imgur.com/gallery/nMTenfj) art. It’s so adorable. <3
> 
> I’m tagging [ OddLilDumpling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OddLilDumpling/pseuds/OddLilDumpling) for actually guessing a specific part of this chapter. XD

**Garland Moon, 1164 - Sylvain Jose Gautier, Castle Fraldarius **

Felix was the smallest baby Sylvain has ever seen. He was soft and had a pair of puffy cheeks that he couldn’t help but poke which always annoyed the baby’s stern wet nurse. She always slapped his hand whenever she noticed he was about to poke her charge’s cheeks but that only made Sylvain more determined to poke those chubby cheeks. It probably didn’t help that poking his cheeks made the little baby grumble and whine and, if he poked long enough, he would finally start to cry which would make the poor wet nurse run towards his older sister as she was the only one who could calm the crying baby and Sylvain, without a hint of remorse, would always follow after them. Byleth’s studies would be interrupted and she would spend the remainder of her study time calming her little brother with a soft song while Sylvain sat next to her, resting his head on her shoulder. 

As such, every day, without fail, the Gautier heir would visit the baby and annoy both him and his wet nurse. It wasn’t entirely his fault. He only had a bit of free time each day since his instructor was both strict and adhere to his daily schedule as if the Goddess herself had sent the blasted schedule down from the heavens just to spite him. Unfortunately, his free time coincides with Byleth’s study time. He wasn’t sure what she could be studying since all she did was turn on and off a light crystal when he visited her. She was staring at the crystal with such intensity that he couldn’t bring himself to call out to her. Her… butler? Manservant? Friend? Sylvain wasn’t really sure who the boy was to Byleth but he was the servant boy who was always quiet and always seemed to be doing random chores around the castle. The boy noticed him and silently gave him a sweet bun while smiling apologetically at him. The sweet bun was already cold and squished with the fillings already spilling out but it was still delicious. Sylvain left that day without Byleth noticing he was in the room.

He missed hearing her read him stories.

The only actual time that he would see Byleth would be on the training grounds. Miklan and Glenn would train together but he and Byleth would do their training separately. Sylvain was still too young to join either the two boys’ training regiment or Byleth’s specialized training regiment so his instructor mainly ordered him to do easy steps that will build up his stamina and muscles without over-exerting himself. Because of this, he could easily watch as the other children went on with their own training. Miklan and Glenn usually trained for unarmed combat or with swords. Miklan had problems keeping up with the oldest Fraldarius child but, if there was one thing he was sure about his brother, it was the fact that he never gave up and always pushed himself too hard just to be as good or even better than everyone else. Sylvain always worried about him because of this but the first time he asked if his brother was alright, the older Gautier had become angry at him so he just kept his distance whenever his older brother was training. 

Byleth’s training looked fun though. Her instructor (governess, his instructor once corrected him but he wasn’t sure what was the difference between the two) would litter lots of things on her side of the training ground, boxes, crates and, one day, he even saw a huge mound of sand. Each day, she had to run across the training ground, dodging the snowballs thrown at her by both her instructor and the servant boy, to take some kind of object on the other side of her training ground. Sometimes, it was a book. Other times it was a teacup. There was one time it was a vase as small as Felix. After she retrieved the object, she had to return to the other side. If she gets hit by any of the snowballs, she had to start from the very beginning. If she trips or falls, she had to start from the very beginning. If she drops the object, she also had to start from the very beginning. If the object gets a scratch or breaks, she starts again with a new heavier object. Sylvain had been in awe when he first saw her instructor create a huge mound of snow using Reason magic so they could easily bombard her charge with snowballs. Sometimes, when Glenn would take a break, he would join in trying to hit his sister too and Sylvain’s instructor let him joined in at times too. Miklan joined a few times but his snowballs always hit the other snowballs instead of Byleth so he stopped joining after a while and just shouted at Byleth when she made a mistake which always makes the younger girl glare at him. There was one time the servant boy threw a tomato instead of a snowball and he was scolded for wasting food.

Now, they were only allowed to throw rotten tomatoes. Her instructor actually approved of it, saying to them, “The more rotten it is, the better.”

It seemed to have done the job though as Byleth had better reaction time when it was a rotten tomato being thrown at her, especially if it was aimed at her hair. Sylvain wasn’t sure why she kept it in a half bun when it was so much easier to just cut it short like him or to tie the entire thing to a bun like Glenn. The half-bun only made her hair go on her face and she would sometimes stop because her hair smacked her eye when she was trying to dodge. However, the girl was adamant on keeping her hair in a half-bun at all times and no one could persuade her otherwise, even just to change her hairstyle during training only. 

One night, Sylvain was so happy because Byleth invited him to an evening tea party. He was excited to show her how he had been practicing his tea etiquette as well with his mother back in Castle Gautier. 

But then Felix was there too, sitting on his sister’s lap while chewing the mane of Sir Loog Alistair Fraldarius (“You have to say his full name, Sylvain.”) and drooling all over his sister’s beloved stuffed lion. 

“What’s he doing here?” Sylvain asked perturbedly as he pouted.

“Felix wanted to watch you serve tea too.” She answered with a slight tilt of her head which the younger Gautier knew meant she was confused about the question. She seemed to have noticed his bad mood and asked, “Don’t you like Felix?”

He sat back on his seat and crossed his arms as he replied, “Not right now.”

“Why not?” She asked curiously, not a bit offended for her little brother’s sake.

“Because this is supposed to be our tea party!” Sylvain looked away as he mumbled, “Just the two of us…”

The young girl remained quiet and listened as the Gautier heir mumbled, “I was your little brother first.” 

She blinked at him before tilting her head as she asked, “Doesn't that make you Felix's older brother then?” 

“No!” Sylvain shouted immediately, making the baby on her lap stop chewing Sir Loog Alistair Fraldarius' mane to stare at him. The red-haired boy placed his hands on his lap as he said, “I can't be Felix's older brother. I… I…”

He closed his eyes as he remembered the sting he felt on his right hand when his brother had slapped his hand away after he had tried to help him. He rubbed his right hand and opened his eyes as he said, “I’ll never be Felix’s older brother.”

“I’ll never…” The words wouldn’t leave his lips and he bit his bottom lip. Instead, he stood up and ran towards them. He wrapped his arms around both her and her little brother as he whispered, “I’ll protect Felix. I won’t let anything ever happen to him.”

She was confused by what could have brought on such declaration but she simply accepted it. She wrapped her arms around Sylvain as well and whispered, “Thank you, Sylvain.”

His voice was soft as he asked, “So… can you keep being my older sister too? I promise I won’t get mad sharing you with Felix any more.”

She smiled and nodded as she whispered, “I’ll always be your older sister too, Sylvain.”

His hug tightened and she heard him whisper softly, “Thanks, ‘Leth.”

That night, her governess managed to get the approval of both Felix’s wet nurse and Sylvain’s instructor for both boys to sleep with her charge for the night. Sylvain fell asleep, holding Felix in his arms, as their older sister read to them the story of a king without a kingdom, journeying to the edge of the world to find his missing family and friends. 

  
  


**Garland Moon, 1164 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius **

Every year, House Gautier and House Fraldarius celebrated the birthdays of Sylvain Jose Gautier, the heir to House Gautier, and Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, the only daughter of Duke Fraldarius, on the same day. It changes every year but it will always be celebrated on the rest day of the week between Sylvain’s birthday and Byleth’s birthday. Some of the noble children had asked if Sylvain ever felt bad having to celebrate his birthday so late but the boy was always happy to celebrate his birthday with the older Fraldarius girl. It was a modest celebration by Kingdom standards but most nobles from the northern kingdom territories would pay their respect, giving a small gift to both children. Sylvain would usually get toys and maybe a weapon or two that was small enough for a child of his age to wield while Byleth would usually receive clothes and accessories. Many of the clothes she received would most probably just be worn once before the son of the little lady's nanny would be seen delivering the clothes to the castle seamstress who would remake them into cloaks or other more functioning article of clothing that would be given to the castle servants or the people living in the lower castle. The accessories would be kept in a box that the little lady didn’t really care about as she preferred the simple ribbons she received from her mother. They kept the clothes that weren’t so… gaudy. 

It may be insulting to some of the nobles if they ever learn about it but House Fraldarius had always treasured practicality over style… for the most part. There had always been exceptions, most of which could easily be traced back to the royal family.

On the day that both children’s birth were being celebrated this year, many of the northern kingdom nobles sent their regards and gifts to both children as usual yet no one visited as things were still tense considering the ongoing siege by Sreng. Margravine Gautier managed to visit though and said that she would be returning with both her children as they didn’t want to impose too much on House Fraldarius. Countess Galatea was able to visit with her two children as well, her youngest son and her only daughter. Her eldest son had stayed to help his father in governing Galatea territory. The king and the prince were also able to visit together with their Lionguards, making the head of House Fraldarius grimace at the realization that, once again, the king had decided to leave Fhirdiad without a proper escort. 

He could only imagine the uproar in Castle Blaiddyd right now that Count Gellum and Sir Gustave would be trying to repress. 

The duke remained quiet though as he watched his daughter run towards their king with her arms wide open as she shouted, “King Lamb!”

Lambert knelt and held the girl as she jumped right into his arms, standing so he could twirl her around, much to her delight. The king turned towards the younger Gautier boy and ruffled his head as he said, “Happy birthday, Sylvain. How old are you now?”

Sylvain blushed and hid behind his mother as he mumbled, “Four, Your Majesty.”

“Four!” The king repeated with a jolly tone, grinning at the shy boy as he said, “I remember what your grandfather would tell me and Rodrigue about your father when he was four years old. He-”

Rodrigue cleared his throat and cut off his king, “-was a very cheerful child.”

He gave his childhood friend a tight smile as he emphasized, “Right, sire?” 

“Oh, yes. Definitely.” The king nodded, keeping a cheerful tone as he continued, “Ruger was a cheerful child. Yes, he was.”

No one heard Miklan snort at that but they did hear the margravine giggle softly.

The blond-haired king turned towards the girl in his arms and asked, “What about you, my dear Byleth? How old are you going to be next week?”

“Five.” She replied, showing him her right hand with all five fingers. 

“Five years old!” He twirled her again, making her giggle, “You’re growing up so fast!”

He turned towards his Lionguards, his smile faltering when he saw one of them for a moment but only Rodrigue and his Lionguards noticed it. He gently placed Byleth down and knelt as he asked, “Dimitri has a gift for you. Would you like to see it?”

Her face brightened as she nodded, “Mmhm.”

“Dimitri.” He called out towards his Lionguards and the girl turned to face them as well. Behind one of the capes of the Lionguards, a blond-haired boy peeked his head out. 

She smiled brightly at him as she greeted, “Hello, Dima.”

The boy blushed and quickly hid behind his Lionguard once more, making everyone coo and chuckle at the shy prince.

One of the Lionguards walked towards the prince and knelt on one knee, whispering something to him. The Lionguard ruffled the prince’s head, earning a disapproving scowl from another one of the Lionguards. The prince held the Lionguard’s hand, making the armored knight chuckle. The large Lionguard stood and walked towards Byleth and the king while the prince clutched his hand as he kept his other hand behind him. They stopped in front of the two and the prince let go of the Lionguard’s hand. He offered her a blue box with a white ribbon and mumbled, “Happy Birthday…”

She smiled as she took the box from the prince and replied, “Thank you, Dima.”

His cheeks reddened and he ran back towards his Lionguard, hiding behind her cape once more. Both the king and his Lionguard chuckled at the prince’s antics while Byleth asked with a slight tilt of her head, “Can I open it now, Dima?”

The boy peeked from the cape of his Lionguard and nodded slightly before hiding once more. She smiled and pulled the ribbon off, holding it with her other hand as she opened the box. She gasped and took out a beautiful flower brooch that was as big as her fist. The shape of the six tepals were made of silver, curving back to the center made of light pink gems clustered together. Six curving stamens were made of gold with the end decorated by a small light pink gem. The king gently took the brooch from her hand and clipped it on the collar of her simple white long-sleeved blouse as he explained, “This flower is called an Alstroemeria. It can’t grow here in Faerghus but you probably have seen it before in flower shops.”

“Mmhm.” She nodded with a smile, remembering that it looked really similar to the flower Glenn had given her when they first rode to the Forest of Silence. 

“Dimitri thought it would look pretty on you.” He whispered, making her smile brightly. 

His father’s words had the boy stepping out of his hiding place to shout, “Father!”

Lambert’s lips curved into a grin as he whispered, “Oh, apologies. That was supposed to be a secret.”

She giggled before turning towards the shy prince and smiled at him, “Thank you, Dima. I love it.”

The prince blushed once more and hid behind his Lionguard, much to everyone’s amusement. 

“Did you hear about Alfin?” Miklan had asked all of a sudden while she had been in the castle kitchen with Elster, getting cookies and tea for her friends. Sylvain had managed to get Dimitri to finally join them instead of hiding behind his Lionguard the whole time and she had hoped that tea and cookies would help the shy prince finally open up to them. Her nanny had tried to do it for her but her governess had stopped the fretting woman, telling her that it would do their little lady good to mingle with the castle staff and be seen taking care of her guests. Elster was only there with her because her nanny wouldn’t budge on having her all alone. The boy didn’t have a say on the entire thing and just went along with it as usual. 

“What about Alfin?” She asked as she pondered which teapot to bring while Elster secretly ate a few cookies that the castle cook was bringing to the serving cart they’d be wheeling back to the party. 

“He’s not going to be a knight anymore.” Miklan explained, grabbing a light blue teapot decorated with running white rabbits, “The two brats can’t drink tea so you’ll only need five cups.” 

“They’re not brats, they’re babies.” Byleth corrected but accepted the teapot that the older Gautier had chosen. Her brows furrowed as she tried to count how many cups she would need as she felt that five was a little bit off for some reason. She placed the teapot on the serving cart they’d be using and lightly flicked one of Elster’s ears, making the boy jump. She narrowed her eyes at him and he sheepishly handed her the latest cookie that he had managed to pilfer. She rolled her eyes and placed the cookie back on the plate before turning towards the red-head boy as she asked, “Alfin’s not going to be a knight? But that’s been his dream ever since… what happened?”

Miklan crossed his arms as he informed her bitterly, “He’s learning how to take care of their territory so, when Glenn becomes the count, he can help him.”

She frowned at the boy’s bad mood and asked, “What’s wrong, Miklan?”

“What’s wrong?” He repeated in a low growl that had the servant boy hide behind her, “Alfin’s throwing away his dream so he can help Glenn! Not only that, because he doesn’t have a crest, he can’t be the count even though he’s throwing away his entire life for their stupid territory!”

She stared at the fuming red-haired boy for a few seconds before saying gently, “We don’t know that, Miklan. Maybe Alfin would just teach Glenn for a bit then he can become a knight when Glenn gets a hang on-”

“It doesn’t change anything.” Miklan cut her off, taking a few steps towards her. She had to raise her head to stare at the older boy’s face as he growled, “Even if he becomes a knight later, he would still have spent all those years preparing for a title that won’t ever be his. Just because… just because…”

“I don’t get it.” She admitted as she tilted her head slightly before she reasoned, “Alfin doesn’t want to be the count anyway and he loves Galatea so wouldn’t he be okay with helping anyway he can? So what if he’s not going to be the count? Glenn would listen to him and they can work together instead.” 

“But no one would know about that. They won’t care that Alfin would be helping him. All they would care about is Glenn because he has a stupid crest and-”

“Does it matter?” She cut him off, making the boy blink at her, “Does it matter that they don’t know? Would Alfin really care about people knowing he helped?”

Her brows furrowed as she asked, “Does it matter that people know who did it? What matters should be that the land and the people are safe and happy, right?”

He stared at her for a few minutes in silence before turning his head as he mumbled, “I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

“Miklan?” She asked, raising her hand to touch his hand. 

He slapped her hand away and glared at her as he whispered, “You’ll never understand.”

Her eyes widened at those words and she opened her mouth to speak but a man’s voice called out, “Pardon the intrusion.”

Both Miklan and Byleth turned towards the voice and saw one of the king’s Lionguards standing by the door. The Lionguard bowed as he announced, “I have been ordered to escort Lady Byleth to His Majesty.”

She noticed Miklan’s hands clenched into fists but he remained silent. She nodded at the Lionguard as she said, “Thank you, Sir Donovan. Please give me a minute?”

The Lionguard nodded before stepping out of the room and turning to guard the door. She turned towards Miklan and opened her mouth but he beat her to it, “I’ll take the tea and cookies to them. Go. You shouldn’t make the king wait.”

She bit her bottom lip as she watched Miklan grab the handle of the serving cart while Elster stared at her with wide eyes, unsure what to do, before she asked, “Would you like to have tea later, Miklan?”

He kept his eyes on the ground as he replied, “No. I don’t like tea.”

“Then-” She didn’t get to say anything else as Miklan began wheeling the serving cart out of the kitchen without saying anything to her. She frowned slightly as she watched him leave the kitchen before turning towards Elster, “Tell Glenn everything. Tell him to ask Judah about Alfin.”

“Speak to Lord Glenn?” Elster squeaked with wide eyes, making Byleth roll her eyes.

“Yes, speak with Glenn.” She repeated, gently pushing the boy out of the kitchen as she said, “You can do it, Elster. You can talk to Glenn.”

“Have you seen him smile?!” Elster hissed before muffling a scream when he saw the Lionguard standing by the door. He bowed at the imposing figure before sprinting away, making Byleth sigh. 

“What’s his problem?” Donovan asked curiously as he watched the boy trip over air.

“He has problems talking to other people.” She repeated the explanation her governess had given her even though she thought it wasn’t exactly accurate. He was okay talking with other people but he was shy around nobles and knights. 

… except her but that was to be expected since they pretty much grew up together. 

Donovan hummed before offering his hand as he asked, “Shall we go?”

“Okay.” She nodded, smiling at the Lionguard as she grabbed his hand. They began to walk hand-in-hand towards her father’s office and she asked, “How’s everyone?”

“Ohhh, the same.” He replied with a shrug before saying enthusiastically, “Oh! We did start this rigorous training with Sir Je- I mean, Sir Giraud. That man is a monster. After every training, we all just want to lie down on the grass and sleep for the rest of the day.”

She giggled at the image of such strong knights lying on the ground before asking curiously, “What’s he like? Sir Giraud?”

She had only heard of the new Lionguard a few months ago from Glenn who had enthusiastically told him how he heard that the new knight managed to take down all of the other Lionguards single-handedly. Elster had also told her about the rumor that Giraud was never seen without his Lionguard helmet because he was supposedly a high-ranking noble or knight from Adestria or Leicester who had defected to Faerghus. When she and Glenn had told their uncle about it, their uncle chuckled and shook his head, explaining to them that it was highly unlikely as everyone would have heard of a high-ranking noble or knight from the empire or the alliance disappearing by now. They had asked their uncle who he thinks the new Lionguard was and their uncle guessed that Sir Giraud was a commoner who had caught the king’s eyes, perhaps during the plague. There were many minor revolts in the central and southern kingdom territories during the plague, especially during the time the people had heard about the queen staying in Castle Fraldarius, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Giraud had been one of the commoners who had been revolting and the king had been impressed by him then. 

Byleth never heard that there were revolts happening back then and their uncle explained that it was kept a secret as it would have been seen as a sign of weakness. He had made them promise not to tell anyone and they agreed, making their uncle smile at them. 

“He’s fun to be with.” Donovan replied, grinning as he remembered, “Could drink us all under the table.”

He cleared his throat as he whispered, “Don’t tell the king about that though. Or Sir Ulrich…”

She nodded as she replied, “Okay. Promise.”

“Thank you, Lady Byleth.” The young knight smiled at him as they turned the corner leading to her father’s office. Two Lionguards were standing on guard on both sides of the door and watched silently as she approached them together with their fellow Lionguard. The one on the left knocked on the door and waited. 

“Hello.” She greeted them as they waited for a reply. 

“Happy birthday, Lady Byleth.” The one on the right greeted back and she recognized the voice as one of Cardia’s previous Lionguards. 

“Thank you, Katya.” She gave the female Lionguard a smile, used to being greeted a ‘happy birthday’ even though her actual birthday was actually for next week. 

Someone opened the door and Donovan gently pushed her inside. She nodded at both Lionguards on each side of the door who nodded back at her before walking into the room. Her father was standing by the fireplace with his arms crossed while the king was sitting on one of the two chairs facing the office desk she always saw her father sitting on when he was working. One of the Lionguards was standing behind the king while she saw another Lionguard standing on one side of the door and one more Lionguard was standing in one corner of the room. Donovan took a position on the other side of the door while the Lionguard next to him closed the door behind them. Lambert stood and walked towards her. She met him in the middle of the room and raised her head to look at his face as he said, “Byleth, I’d like you to meet someone.”

He stepped to the side and she watched as the Lionguard standing by the office desk walked towards her. The king walked for a bit until he was behind her and the Lionguard knelt on one knee in front of her. She heard Lambert start from behind her, “Byleth, this is…”

“Giraud.” the Lionguard continued before he took off his lion helmet. He placed the helmet on his folded knee and smiled softly at her as he introduced himself, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Lady Byleth. My name’s Giraud.”

She didn’t notice the sadness in the king’s eyes as he watched the two of them nor the way her father turned away to stare at the fireplace. She curtseyed at the kneeling knight as she introduced herself, “It’s nice to meet you too, Sir Giraud. I’m Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius of House Fraldarius.”

His smile turned a bit sad but his voice remained gentle as he said, “I hear it’s going to be your birthday next week?”

“Yes, sir.” She nodded, smiling at the knight as she added, “I’ll be five next week.”

“Five. That’s a wonderful number.” The older man commented with a nod before asking softly, “I’d like to give you a gift if that’s okay?” 

His question made her tilt her head. She stared at him for a moment silently before nodding, “Okay.” 

Her eyes widened when she saw what he had in his hands that he had been hiding behind him. He offered the present to her and she stared at it silently. It was a simple dagger with a blue-purple scabbard. The hilt was made of black leather with a fan-style end. The crossguard and pommel were made of gold. Part of the hilt below the pommel was carved off and replace with a golden plate engraved with either a sun with fifteen rays or a flower with fifteen petals. She took the dagger from the Lionguard’s hands and stared at the well-made dagger as she heard him say gently, “I hope that this blade would help you cut your own path… A path you have chosen for yourself.”

Her eyes found his, unsure of how to reply to him. She didn’t know this person and he was nice so it would seem rude to tell him that her path was whatever her father wished her to take. That was her duty as a noble and a member of House Fraldarius. 

She knew that already even if she was still young. 

Yet his smile was gentle and his voice was soft. She smiled at him and said, “Thank you, Sir Giraud.”

“Would you like to have tea with me later tonight?”

The mysterious Lionguard had agreed with a bright smile on his face. She was excused afterward and escorted back to the party with Katya as her escort. It was the older woman who gave her an idea of why the Lionguard seemed a bit strange towards her.

“Sir Giraud… lost her daughter a while back.” The female Lionguard explained hesitantly and Byleth assumed that it was a secret among the Lionguards that Katya was telling her to help her (and maybe help her fellow Lionguard as well) understand why he was acting that way around her, “She would be around your age this year.”

With that information in mind, Byleth thanked the concerned Lionguard and joined her friends once more. Glenn was trying to help Felix walk while Judah was trying to help his sister walk as well. Sylvain was telling Dimitri about the story she had read to him once which the young prince was paying attention to with wide eyes as he sipped his cup of milk (her nanny had told her that it was too early for the prince to drink tea, even if it was herbal tea) while Miklan just watched Glenn and Judah silently as he ate cookies. She joined Sylvain and Dimitri, making the shy prince blush when she smiled at him as Sylvain prepared her a cup. She made sure to complement Sylvain’s tea etiquette which made the younger Gautier preen. She spent the rest of her birthday party telling a cheerful Sylvain and a shy but attentive Dimitri one of the many stories she had heard from both her nanny and governess. Glenn and Judah joined a bit later and Felix immediately went to sit on her lap while their older brother asked that she tell them a story about a knight and she had agreed to do so. Ingrid sat on her brother’s lap and Judah helped her drink a cup of milk as he listened to Byleth tell her next story. He was pretending not to listen but Byleth noticed that Miklan would occasionally glance at her and even made a few small movements whenever something big happened to the story she was telling.

The evening tea with Sir Giraud wasn’t really… anything to talk about if she was being honest. She supposed that an accurate description of what happened was that nothing really happened. It was a bit strange when he refused to take off his helmet but she guessed it was because her nanny and Elster were sitting on the bench outside like usual, making sure she would be safe but she was even more surprised by his impeccable tea etiquette which was surprising considering his appearance. She had tea with Cardia’s Lionguards when they had stayed in Castle Fraldarius with her late friend. Colette didn’t know any tea etiquette which she had apologized for and explained it was because she was a commoner. Katya managed to copy a bit of how Byleth and Cardia would move during tea time but she was stiff and worried about making a mistake. She had tea with Donovan when they were on their way to Fhirdiad and he had passable tea etiquette but he tended to forget about them once he started getting fired up with telling her and Glenn about one of his stories. She had tea with Victor and Korre back in Castle Blaiddyd when they visited as well. Victor was quiet but polite although it was obvious in her eyes that he wasn’t used to having a tea party like hers while Korre had the grace that reminded Byleth a bit of her mother yet she seemed reluctant to touch any of the glassware, admitting she was actually a bit clumsy. She had invited Sir Ulrich as well but the old Lionguard had refused politely, telling her it was beneath her stature to have tea with knights such as them (not that it stopped any of the other Lionguards). 

None of them had the same grace as the way Sir Giraud moved. It actually reminded her of the way the king moved when they would have tea. It was a flawless grace that could have only come from years of doing the same movements. Not even Glenn could be as graceful as Sir Giraud and his sister had engraved tea etiquette in his brain ever since they were young. 

The Lionguard also didn’t like to talk about himself. He asked her about her life here in Castle Fraldarius, how she was doing, what she was studying and asked if she was having fun. She answered all of his questions honestly and could see the sad smile on his face even if it was slightly hidden by his lion helmet.

She wondered if he missed his daughter and saw her as some kind of… mirror?

She felt sorry for the lonely Lionguard and tried to keep the conversation as cheerful as she could even if it was mostly her talking. He seemed to like hearing her talk about fun things she did or stories that made her laugh so she focused on that.

Sir Giraud was a bit quiet and she could clearly see that he missed his daughter a lot but he was kind and his hand was gentle when he patted her head while they were saying goodnight to one another. She hoped that she managed to lessen the knight’s loneliness for even just a bit.

“Good night, my lady.” His voice had been soft when they had parted and she had smiled at him.

“Good night, sir knight.” She had replied which made him chuckle softly before they finally parted. 

On her way to her room together with her nanny and her nanny’s son, they met up with her father. She tilted her head when she saw the sadness on her father’s face and asked, “What’s wrong, father?”

His breath hitched at the sound of her voice and her eyes widened as she was suddenly enveloped into an embrace. She hugged her father back and felt him lift her off the ground, holding her close as he whispered, “No matter what happens, no matter what they say, you’re my daughter. My one and only daughter.”

She blinked at the words she heard, unsure how to reply. Her father didn’t seem to mind as he whispered, "I love you, my dear daughter." 

Byleth rested her head on her father’s shoulder as she whispered back, "I love you too, father." 

The king and prince left the next morning at the break of dawn. The Lionguards kept their distance as the king and prince said their goodbyes to the duke and his two oldest children as no one dared wake Felix up at such a time as that would only end in unnecessary pain (on the ears) for everyone involved. The king patted both children’s head and they all watched as the prince shyly hugged the little lady quickly before running to hide on the cape of his Lionguard once more, making all the adults chuckle while Glenn tried to hide his grin and Byleth waved at the prince when he peeked his head out. Countess Galatea left with Judah and Ingrid after breakfast, letting Glenn pat Ingrid’s head before they left. Margravine Gautier left with both Sylvain and Miklan after lunch and Sylvain hugged both Byleth and Felix before they left. Byleth waved at Miklan and he raised his head for a moment before dropping it all of a sudden, turning away without doing anything else. 

That day, her mother asked her to read them a story during their afternoon tea. They all sat on her mother’s bed, with Byleth sitting between her parents while Felix sat on her lap and Glenn sat on their father’s lap. She decided to read her family the story of ‘The Defender Queen of the Snowy Kingdom’ and they stayed in bed until the sun set, their mother’s head resting on their father’s shoulder while she gently combed her daughter’s hair with her fingers and held her oldest son’s hand with her other hand. No one dared tell any of the duke’s family how his younger brother had ordered no one interrupt them and to give to him all reports that needed the duke’s attention for today as well as to cancel the rest of the children’s study sessions for the day.

  
  


**Blue Sea Moon, 1164 - Katherine Hohenheim, Castle Fraldarius **

It didn’t take long before the crown prince’s sweet crush on the little lady of House Fraldarius took the entire castle by storm. By the end of the first week of the Blue Sea Moon, most of Fraldarius territory have already heard the prince’s crush and it had turned from a sweet story of children being children to some kind of start of a tragic love story between the crown prince and the crestless lady of House Fraldarius. Last Katherine had heard, the duke was getting a headache trying to correct the rumors before it could reach Fhirdiad and perhaps ruffle the feathers of some of the more vocal nobles in the central and southern territories. 

She couldn’t see him succeeding in any way possible considering the little lady kept wearing the brooch the prince had given her as a gift. If anyone was fueling the rumors, it was her charge who didn’t even know what she was doing, fueling it all by simply just wearing the brooch which the castle had began to whisper as a sign of their love.

Katherine wondered if the castle servants even realize that the two were too young to actually understand what love is yet.

She had said as much to her charge’s nanny and the kind woman had simply smiled at her as she patted her shoulder in resignation. 

Considering how many years Hunydd had served House Fraldarius, she could infer what the woman was trying to tell her silently and all she could do was sigh.

It wasn’t her job to correct people’s assumptions so she just remained quiet and watched in silence as many of the people in the lower castle would give her flowers of Alstroemeria which she accepted with a grateful smile. The flower was slowly becoming the little lady’s favorite, especially the white ones. Even Little Lord Glenn had given her Alstroemeria once because, according to him, he saw it and it reminded him of her. She even saw the gardener of Castle Fraldarius talking to some of the mages under House Fraldarius about the possibility of cultivating Alstroemeria in the castle courtyard itself even though the cold climate of Faerghus (especially the northern kingdom territories like Fraldarius) was not an ideal place to plant Alstroemeria at all. 

She didn’t bother to tell them that if they wanted to plant Alstroemeria so bad, their best course of action would be to plant it in a magically infused greenhouse like the one she heard was in Garreg Mach. No need for the magically infused soil that lets plant life grow as fast as a week for lesser yield but they could control the temperature by using warming crystals in the greenhouse. If they were truly serious about planting Alstroemeria, they would be able to find out about that even if she doesn’t say anything.

It was all that brooch fault. It would be easy to curb the rumors if the little lady stopped wearing the brooch but no one was going to tell her to stop wearing it. Especially since it was the only piece of jewelry that little lady actually wore. She was sure that the duke hoped Katherine would tell her charge to take off the brooch as it would hinder her magic studies but the dark-haired woman had checked the brooch. 

Both the silver and the gold part of the brooch weren’t pure. Both had been mixed with the magic friendly metal. The gems were also made of different kinds of metals, including the magic friendly metal and an actual gem that was used to augment the wearer’s magical proficiency. That meant the brooch wasn’t just a simple piece of accessory, it was actually a useful tool for magic users.

She wasn’t sure if the king had known about it when he let the prince purchase the brooch or it was a coincidence but she wasn’t going to let such a precious item go to waste. 

Especially now that her charge was ready to start learning how to use magic. 

They started their first practical lesson on the second week of the Blue Sea Moon in the courtyard at the end of the east wing as no one went there anymore since the late queen left Castle Fraldarius. The only time people would actually visit the courtyard would be during the little lady’s evening tea parties as she always held them in the same balcony she used to have a tea party with the late queen. It was the perfect place to do their magic lessons as no one would bother them, especially the annoying stuck up instructor of Little Lord Glenn. 

“There are many basic spells you can start with. Most of the time, our first spell would be a spell based on what we are most familiar with.” She explained as the young girl walked at the center of the courtyard. She had filled the courtyard with a wall of ice to keep the damage of a stray spell to a minimum. Hunydd also had three buckets of water and three more buckets filled with sand next to her in case it was necessary. Her charge stared at her as she continued, “The warmth of a fire, the force of a breeze, the loud sound of a thunderstrike and the painful touch of an icicle. Those are usually what most of us could identify easily. There is no real reasoning behind which spell you cast first. You cast whichever you can imagine clearest. That’s it.” 

“Now, before you begin.” She turned towards the boy next to her charge’s nanny, “Elster, come here.”

The dark-haired boy blinked, surprised at being called, but dutifully walked towards them. He stood next to the older woman and tilted his head silently, a habit he got from the little lady. 

“Cast fire at that direction.” She instructed, pointing at the wall of ice to her left side. 

“Okay.” The boy nodded, raising both his arms in front of him and concentrating hard as a magic circle slowly appeared in front of his palms. It took a while as he wasn’t wearing the proper attire but he did manage to throw a small fireball towards the block of ice. It hit the wall and evaporated on impact, not even making a dent on the wall. The fireball was quite small by what was considered to be the standard size by the School of Sorcery but she had expected it as the boy had just learned to do such a feat last year and he was still young. His attire also made it hard for the boy to absorb the right amount of energy he needed. 

“You know magic, Elster?” The young girl had asked with wide eyes and the boy nodded with a big smile on his face while his mother stared at him with wide eyes.

“Remember when you and Hunydd went to Fhirdiad last year? I started to teach Elster how to cast a fire spell during that time.” She explained.

She didn’t add that the reason why she had decided to teach a servant boy a magic spell was because she wanted to check if it was possible to teach a young child like him and her charge magic at that age already. She didn’t expect the boy to actually have a hidden talent for it.

That was purely accidental.

But it was a happy accident as this meant the boy could support the little lady more now. She had already been talking to the duke about the two Powes. Hunydd would become the little lady’s handmaiden while the boy would become her butler. It was unheard of for a Fraldarius lady to have a butler as it was usually just a handmaid or two like the duchess with Rowena and… ugh, Katherine couldn’t remember the other handmaiden’s name. She was used to seeing Rowena run all over the castle and the woman liked to gossip like every piece of trash she heard from a friend of a friend was some kind of secret information that could very well save the entire kingdom from extinction so it was hard not to know about her while the other handmaiden stayed by the duchess’ shadow to take care of everything the duchess needed urgently and was so quiet Katherine wasn’t even sure if she had ever heard her talk before.

Regardless, Hunydd and Elster would serve as both of the little lady’s handmaiden and butler with Hunydd taking care of any of the little lady’s urgent requests while Elster would do all the running around. Elster knowing magic (which would remain a secret for now) would also help in case she needed help but Katherine was trying to teach her skills that would make sure she could protect herself so that she wouldn’t need to ask for assistance from anyone else.

As well as show anyone who dare stand against her the consequences of such fruitless endeavor. 

“Now then, your turn, Little Lady.” She said and earned a determined nod from her charge. The young girl was wearing a simple white long-sleeved blouse with the flower brooch pinned on the collar of her blouse and comfy black trousers, all made from the magic friendly fabric the older woman’s clothes were made from. She had ordered the castle seamstress to make more which included a few dresses as well, having ordered Elster to bring some of the dresses the little lady wasn’t wearing anymore as a reference to how they should look like. It was okay to mix some of the fabrics from those clothes as long as the magic friendly fabric made up most of the clothes she would be wearing. It was hard to use it for the heavier article of clothing the little lady wore during the coldest of winter as well and that was mainly the reason why there weren’t really that many magic-focused users in the northern kingdom territories that weren’t a dark knight or a holy knight. They would mainly freeze to death before they would be able to cast anything in the harshest of winter here in the northern kingdom territories. 

She watched her charge raise both of her arms in front of her and instructed, “Remember how it felt when you were holding the light crystal. Take a deep breath and think as hard as you can. Fire, Wind, Blizzard, Thunder… pick any of those to cast and focus on that.”

The young girl took a deep breath and focused on the same direction Elster had hit his fire spell to. Katherine crossed her arms as she explained, “Magic is all about giving form to your thoughts. Reason and Faith all comes down to the same thing: understanding. What do you want to cast?”

“Fire.” She replied as she kept her eyes trained on the wall of ice.

“Okay.” The older woman nodded and explained, “Think of a fire. What it looks like. What it feels like. What makes it the way it is. What differentiates it from every other thing in this entire world.”

She barely noticed both of her charge’s nanny and the nanny’s son had pressed their hands together as they stared at the little girl at the center of the makeshift arena. She wasn’t sure why they were praying right now but she paid them no attention as she continued, “A fire spell is a simple fire being thrown in a specific direction. It doesn’t have to be a ball of fire but many think of it as a ball they can throw. Others think of it as a flaming arrow they can shoot instead. Pick whichever image is easy for you to throw.”

A red magic circle appeared in front of the girl’s palms, making her eyes widened and she turned towards her governess who reminded her in a calm voice, “Focus, Little Lady. Keep your eyes and your thoughts on the fire spell.”

The teal-haired girl turned her attention back towards the magic circle in front of her palms as her governess said, “Good. You must always keep your focus when you are casting a spell. Lose your focus and your spell would fail. At worst, you might hurt yourself or those around you because of a failed spell.”

Seeing the little girl gulp, she added in the same calm tone, “Don’t think about failing. Focus on succeeding. Focus on the fire you wish to cast.”

The magic circle began to grow, much to her surprise. Before she could say anything else, the magic circle glowed red before a huge ball of fire as big as the little lady shot out of the magic circle, shattering it. The young girl fell on her bottoms as the ricochet of the huge fireball threw her off her feet. The governess immediately placed her hands on the ground and quickly erected a large column of ice in front of the ice wall she created. 

The column of ice evaporated upon impact and the large fireball collided with the ice wall as the ground shook from the impact and they all heard a loud boom. 

All four of them stared at the destruction caused by the little lady’s fire spell. The entire ice wall she had created had crumbled as the force of the blast traveled through the entire wall but it had done its job, keeping the damage contained.

However, the ground where the ice wall and the fireball had collided was now charred, clearing the snow and burning the grass underneath. The little lady’s nanny looked like she was about to faint. Her nanny’s son was staring at the damage with wide eyes and an open mouth, his small body shaking uncontrollably. Her charge turned towards her with wide eyes and she shrugged as she said, “Well, you managed to do a fire spell on your first try. That’s impressive.”

She crossed her arms as she added, “We do need to work on your control more.”

Everyone stared at her with wide eyes, not believing how nonchalant she was being at everything that just happened. She didn’t bother to tell them that she had seen her fair share of aspiring magic users putting too much power on their first spell back in the School of Sorcery. The little lady’s fireball was bigger than any she had seen before but that only meant she had an easier time absorbing energy. That was a good thing. It meant she would have an easier time casting more complicated magic.

All that was needed was better control. 

They all heard the loud clanking sounds of knights hurrying towards them. She gently helped her charge up and said to everyone, “Let me do all the talking.”

She stared at them silently for a moment before adding, “Act innocent.”

All three of them just stared at her with wide eyes, making her sigh as she shook her head.

Before long, the duke’s younger brother was rushing towards them accompanied by a battalion of Fraldarius knights with their swords drawn while the Fraldarius lord held a lance on his right hand. 

“Is everyone all right?!” Luciano asked, his eyes widening as he saw his niece. He immediately ran towards her and knelt in front of her as he asked worriedly, “Are you alright, Byleth?”

“Umm…” She glanced at her governess.

“We’re all alright, Lord Luciano.” Katherine replied, silently thanking whoever was listening that the duke was currently in Daphnel territory to have a talk with Duke Riegan about the borders, “The little lady simply saw what happens when someone uses more energy than necessary for a simple spell.”

The younger Fraldarius lord stood and stared at her as he asked, “And that loud boom was you?”

“A simple fire spell with too much energy used into it.” The dark-haired woman replied instead, “We have everything under control.”

Luciano’s eyes trained on the charred ground near them before raising an eyebrow at the governess who simply said in the same calm tone she had been using ever since, “That was within my calculation.”

He trained his eyes at the other people with her and they all gave a not so convincing smile. He pressed the bridge of his nose as he sighed before he asked, “And no one was hurt?”

“Everyone is okay.” She replied with a nod.

“Fine.” The dark-haired man said with a sigh, narrowing his eyes as he warned, “Make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

“We will endeavor to do so.” She nodded with an aloof tone that made the knights turn to stare at one another while the lord narrowed his eyes at her.

“And my niece better not get hurt at all moving forward.” He added as he crossed his arms.

“That I cannot promise.” She replied calmly which made all the knights stare at her with wide eyes but she paid it no heed as she said, “It would be a lie for me to promise that she won’t get hurt. Have you ever met someone who trained in either swordsmanship or magic that have not been hurt at all? The pain is part of the training, not because we wish for it but because it is inevitable.”

Lord Fraldarius stared at her for a few moments in silence before he sighed. He shook his head once more before correcting himself, “Then I hope you’d heal her whenever that happens.”

She wanted to roll her eyes but refrained from doing so as she nodded, “Of course.”

His lips curved into a small frown as he repeated, “And this doesn’t happen again.”

She wanted to tell the lord that simply because he repeated something didn’t mean she was going to change her answer but that would be rude. Instead, she glanced at her charge for a second before staring at the duke’s younger brother silently.

Lord Luciano Hektor Fraldarius sighed for the fourth time that day. 

  
  


**Verdant Rain Moon, 1164 - Luciano Hektor Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius **

The meeting with Duke Riegan had held wonderful results and the borders between Faerghus and Leicester finally opened, much to the relief of the people of the holy kingdom. With the trade routes between the kingdom and alliance finally open, many merchants could start traveling once more and supplies from Leicester Alliance were much needed for the upcoming winter. 

Due to the borders between Adrestia and Faerghus still being closed, the price of most of the imported goods, mainly food, from Adrestia skyrocketed to ridiculous amounts. Whenever a merchant was pressed for such an absurd amount, they would reason that the price took into consideration the labor (including the labor of the magic users that had cast heal on the perishables to keep them fresh for the long journey) that went to deliver the goods from Adrestia to Leicester before coming here in Faerghus, instead of a direct route from Adrestia to Faerghus. Due to this, the demand for goods from Adrestia dwindled while the demands for goods from Leicester rose. The rise of demands of Leicester goods to compensate for the ridiculous prices of the Adrestian goods caused the price of Leicester goods to become higher as well yet it was still cheaper than Adrestian goods so many had accepted it.

Reports from the northern noble houses had confirmed that they would be able to have enough supply to last the winter this year. He wasn’t sure about the other kingdom territories as he never received any reports about any of them but he has heard from his brother that Galatea territory was hoping the profit from selling their pegasus blessing would be able to yield them enough gold to buy all the supplies they would need for the upcoming winter but Rodrigue had already ordered that any extra supplies they may acquire be sent to House Galatea.

Luciano knew and understood that his brother was trying to help an old friend of his but he must know he couldn’t keep doing this every year. Fraldarius territory was also barely getting by ever since the plague closed down the borders and the extra supplies they would be sending to Galatea could possibly save Fraldarius territory later down the line instead. 

Yet, he kept his opinion to himself and sent instructions to his retainer instead. It was not his place to question the orders of the current duke of House Fraldarius. His place was to execute any and all orders coming from the head of House Fraldarius and the royal family of House Blaiddyd. 

With the borders between Faerghus and Leicester finally open, the duke could focus on his duties and responsibilities in Fraldarius territory. Luciano remained to assist him as he caught up with all the issues in their territory. The most pressing issue was still the ongoing siege in Fort Appeven by Sreng and the reports they have gotten showed that while they were sure that Sreng would not win, they cannot be sure how long the siege would last. It would prove to be fatal if winter comes while the siege was still ongoing, not just to House Gautier but to the entire northern kingdom territories. His brother had given him complete authority on House Fraldarius’ actions concerning the ongoing siege and he was simply waiting for a message from Baron Itha about the latest news. 

His brother, on the other hand, had taken over the swordsmanship training of his oldest son. Without the added duty of having to negotiate with Leicester Alliance concerning the borders, he finally had enough time to train Glenn himself. Luciano was not truly interested in the training as the image of his brother and his nephew training only reminded him of the past. 

Because he held no interest in watching it, he noticed that his niece would stare at them from one of the second-floor windows. He knew enough to know that the time Rodrigue trained Glenn was the same time that she had a break from her studies. 

He wasn’t sure why she wasn’t training with them. House Fraldarius’ swordsmanship wasn’t dependent on the Fraldarius crest at all. It was a style that relied on speed and the way she had evaded and dodged the snowballs (and rotten tomatoes) thrown at her showed that she was fast and quick on her feet. 

He had asked her governess about it once and the dark-haired woman simply replied to him, “She’s not ready yet.”

He wasn’t sure what she had meant about that and he didn’t bother to ask for more information as he always felt a bit uncomfortable whenever his niece’s governess would look at him. 

It was during one of her breaks when she was watching her father training her brother that her uncle had approached her, asking softly, “Jealous?”

She turned towards him and frowned slightly as she replied, “Miss Katherine said I can join them soon.”

Her uncle hummed and leaned against the wall next to the window where she was staring at the father and son while she turned her attention back at the two. Rodrigue smiled and patted his son’s head before showing him a new move. 

“You’re on break right now, correct?” Luciano asked, making his niece turn to look at him again.

She nodded as she said, “Yes, Miss Katherine said I can take the afternoon off so I don’t get the magic sickness.”

He took a quick glance at her outfit, nodding when he saw that she was wearing a dark blue coat with white fur on the hood and hem over a plain white long-sleeved buttoned shirt and black trousers. The infamous flower brooch was pinned at the center of her coat, right below her neck. He turned around as he said, “Come on.”

She blinked at her uncle’s retreating form before running after him. She followed him silently towards the stable and watched as he talked to the stablemaster. Her eyes widened when the stablemaster brought out a white pony with a saddle. Her uncle checked the pony and the saddle, circling the pony twice and tugging the saddles to be sure. The stablemaster brought a small wooden chair she could stand on so she could get on the pony. The stablemaster held the wooden chair so it wouldn’t wobble while her uncle kept the pony still. 

“Step on the stirrup.” Her uncle instructed and she placed her left foot on the stirrup as she placed both her hands on the pony’s back. She pulled herself up and managed to place her right foot on the other stirrup. Her uncle patted the pony’s back for a moment before checking her form. He adjusted the stirrup so it was more comfortable for her before asking, “Ready?” 

“I’ve never done this before.” She admitted before biting her bottom lip.

“That’s okay. I’m here.” He replied in a soft tone, handing the reins to her. She grabbed the reins and adjusted her hold on it as he instructed, “Fold the reins until you get a straight line from your elbow to her mouth.” 

He nodded and instructed, “You’re going to tell her to walk forward. Ready?”

“Mmhm.” She nodded, waiting for her uncle’s next instructions.

“Squeeze her slightly with your legs and lean forward.” He waited for her to do as he instructed before adding, “Now, say ‘walk’.”

“Walk.” She ordered and the pony began to walk forward. Byleth’s lips curved into a smile as she turned towards her uncle who was walking next to them, holding onto the horse with another pair of reins clipped on the reins she was holding onto. 

“Eyes straight ahead.” Her uncle instructed and she immediately turned her head to stare ahead and straightened her back as she heard him instruct, “Back straight.”

“Relax your legs. You don’t have to keep squeezing her now that she’s walking.” He watched her relax her legs before saying, “Good.” 

He led them out of the stables and they walked towards the open space between the stables and the gates leading to the lower castle. Since most Fraldarius knights prefer to remain on their feet, there was no real space for horseback riding in Castle Fraldarius. Most would simply have their horseback training on the field outside the castle itself but he didn’t want to bring his niece outside, most especially since he didn’t ask permission from his brother. Instead, he let the horse walk towards the gates. When they were nearing the gates, he ordered, “Pull the reins gently and say ‘whoa’.”

She pulled the reins gently and said, “Whoa.”

The pony stopped and he nodded, “Good.” 

“Now, you’re going to turn around. Keep a firm grip on both reins.” He instructed, nodding when he saw her gripping the reins tightly, “Good.”

“Pull your left hand towards you gently.” He instructed, nodding as he added, “Press your left leg against her but keep your right leg relax. Good.”

The pony began to turn to the left and he waited until the pony has fully turned back before instructing, “Relax your left leg and stop pulling.”

The pony stopped once she relaxed her leg and returned her hand to its previous location so that the reins were straight between the pony’s mouth and her elbows. He watched his niece as he instructed, “Good. Now, try getting her to walk forward again.”

She squeezed both her legs gently and leaned forward slightly as she said, “Walk.”

Her face brightened when the pony walked just as she had ordered and she relaxed her legs, staring straight ahead as her uncle walked beside her. 

They managed to get the pony to walk around the space between the stables and the gate for a while, even getting the pony to turn right instead of left as well, before a messenger rushed towards them, holding in his hand an envelope. Her uncle instructed her to stop and she did so without problem, letting out a firm “whoa” as she pulled the reins gently that the pony understood. 

“Excuse me, Lord Luciano.” The messenger bowed as he handed a letter with a wax seal engraved with the symbol of House Itha, “An urgent message from Baron Itha for you, sir.”

“Thank you.” He nodded and took the letter from the messenger before he turned towards his niece as he said, “I’m sorry, Byleth. I must take this.”

She nodded and smiled at her uncle as she replied, “It’s okay. I should go back to Miss Katherine anyway.” 

“Of course.” He nodded, wondering if she was already late as she instructed the pony to walk once more. He highly doubted it as he was sure his niece’s governess would have already interrupted them if that was the case.

This time, he guided the pony back into the stables. The stablemaster immediately rushed towards them, holding the small chair in his hands. Luciano placed his hands on the pony, making sure the pony stayed still as his niece unmounted with the help of the stablemaster. Once she was safely on the ground, she turned towards him and placed her hands behind her back. Her smile turned shy as she asked, “Can we do this again, uncle?”

His lips curved into a small smile as he nodded, “Of course.” 

Her smile became brighter before she ran out of the stables. He nodded at the stablemaster before walking out of the stables as well. Once he had exited the stables, he saw that his niece was already with her governess, walking back towards the main keep. The dark-haired woman noticed him watching them and stopped. She said something to the young girl who turned around and waved at him. Luciano waved back and watched as the two entered the keep. Once he was sure that his niece and her governess were inside the keep, he opened the envelope in his hand. 

As usual, Baron Itha kept his letter short and to the point. As he had suspected, Sreng has not yet let up on their assault, much to the annoyance of Ruger. They were planning on attacking the nearby command post that Sreng was using in an effort to lower the morale of the Sreng force with Ruger leading the charge with the Lance of Ruins. 

At that piece of news, Luciano folded the letter and returned it to the envelope before making his way to his brother’s office. 

“You’re leaving, uncle?” His niece asked with an almost doll-like expression on her face. 

He didn’t expect anyone to come see him off. Dawn was still two bells away yet here she was, standing in front of him, wearing a warm light blue coat with fur on the hem and collar underneath her white sleeping gown. He glanced behind her and saw both her governess and her nanny standing a few feet away from them. He wondered which of them told her about his departure. 

He didn’t even tell his brother he was departing at this hour, instead, he had said he would be leaving after breakfast. 

That would mean one of his men had talked. Whether it was directly to either his niece’s governess or nanny was irrelevant as this would mean it won’t be long before the actual time of his departure would reach his brother’s ears. 

He had always hated goodbyes… especially when it concerned Rodrigue. 

“Yes.” He replied as he knelt on one knee, “I must join Baron Itha and Ruger in repelling the Sreng clans.”

“Will you be coming back?” She asked, keeping her hands behind her back.

“I…” He faltered for a moment before replying truthfully, “I am unsure. Now that Rodrigue has taken over the duties for Fraldarius, there is no real reason for me to stay. Not to mention, I cannot keep passing my responsibilities to my own lands to my retainer forever.”

“Oh.” She lowered her head and said in a dejected tone, “Okay…”

Luciano couldn’t help but place a gentle hand on the top of her head. Everyone who was watching them couldn’t stop themselves from staring at them in surprise. Everyone knew that the duke’s younger brother had not touched any of his family members since he had arrived. To see him gently pat his niece’s head with a soft smile on his face was simply a surprising scene for everyone.

“I’ll come visit again, okay?” He promised, making her raise her head to stare at him once more.

“Okay.” She nodded, smiling back at her uncle, “I want to ride together with you next time.”

He chuckled softly before dropping his hand as he replied, “That would be wonderful, my dear niece.”

* * *

*****Lore and Information For This Chapter*****

**Alstroemeria**

A flower native to central Fodlan, mostly cultivated in Varley territory and usually seen in Oghma Mountains. Many believe that Alstroemeria is related to lilies due to its look. This kind of flower mostly bloomed during summer. Alstroemeria is commonly imported to Faerghus for its exotic look and similarities to the Church of Seiros’ preferred flower: lilies. 

Meaning of Alstroemeria: Continuation/Persisting/Everlasting/Enduring, Yearning for the Future, Exotic

Special Meaning of White Alstroemeria: Gallant/Brave/Chivalrous/Dignified

Special Meaning of Red Alstroemeria: Happiness/Blessed/Fortunate

Special Meaning of Pink Alstroemeria: Attentiveness/Considerate

**Names of Characters Appearing/Being Mentioned In This Chapter** (Which May Become Important or Not):

Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius (birth name Byleth Eisner), daughter of the Duke of Fraldarius

Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Duke of Fraldarius

Ainara Violette Fraldarius (nee Mateus), Duchess of Fraldarius

Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, firstborn son of the Duke of Fraldarius

Felix Hugo Fraldarius, second son of the Duke of Fraldarius 

Lord Loog Alistair Fraldarius, Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius’ Stuffed Lion

Luciano Hektor Fraldarius, younger brother of the Duke of Fraldarius 

Ruger Juan Gautier, Margrave of Gautier

Orlene Adelheid Gautier (nee Muzette), Margravine of Gautier

Miklan Anschutz Gautier, firstborn son of Margave of Gautier

Sylvain Jose Gautier, second son of Margrave Gautier

Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Crown Prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

Sigrun Emilia Galatea, Countess of Galatea

Joachim Byron Galatea (nee Rolando), Count of Galatea

Alfin Svend Galatea, firstborn son of Galatea

Judah Mundi Galatea, second son of Galatea

Ingrid Brandl Galatea, only daughter of the Countess of Galatea

Aetius Krashney Itha, Baron of Itha, under the direct command of the Grand Duke

Hunydd Powe, Fraldarius servant and nanny to Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius

Elster Powe, son of Hunydd Powe

Katherine Hohenheim, Byleth Fraldarius' personal governess

Lambert’s Lionguards (Giraud, Ulrich, Viktor, Korre, Donovan and Katya)

Dimitri’s Lionguards (Colette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much lore and extra information for this chapter as most were already discussed in the chapter itself. The next chapter would be the last part of year 1164 and it will have more childhood friends scenes… and maybe feels… yeah. Maybe feels. XD


	8. 1164 (Horsebrow Moon - Lone Moon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthdays are celebrated and strange things happen around Byleth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the coffee, Somebody!
> 
> Some notes for this chapter  
Rodrigue’s birthday was never given so we’re placing it on the 13th day of the Wyvern Moon for the sake of the narration.  
Also, this is more Fraldarius centric but I hope you guys still like it.

**Horsebrow Moon, 1164 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius **

“Please let me join too, Father.” 

Both her father and her brother turned to stare at the young girl in front of them, holding a wooden sword in her arms tightly. Rodrigue turned his gaze towards the dark-haired woman a few feet behind his daughter. Behind his daughter’s governess was her nanny and her nanny’s son, both of which looked like they were praying to the Goddess while staring at his daughter. Katherine did not speak and only nodded at him. With that single action, he returned his attention at the determined stare of his daughter. 

They continued to stare at one another for a few seconds and Byleth didn’t blink, feeling like any change of her posture or expression could easily make her father reject her plea. She had spent countless hours honing both her magic skills and her swordsmanship. Her governess had finally given her permission to ask her father that she be included in his personal training session with Glenn once it became clear that she could cast both fire and blizzard without problem. 

She was ready.

She knew she was.

“Very well.” The duke finally spoke, giving her a small nod. Her face lit up and a bright smile appeared on her face that was mirrored on her brother’s face but, before she could thank her father, he continued, “But only if you can land a hit on me.”

She blinked at those words before asking, “What do you mean by that, Father?”

His father took a few steps away from her as he explained, “In the next three minutes, you must land a hit in any part of my body. During that time, I will only dodge or block any of your attacks. I will not make any offensive moves at all. Understand?”

Seeing her father holding his wooden sword in the Fraldarius style of swordsmanship, she nodded and gripped her own wooden sword using one hand as well as she placed her left foot forward. Her current stance wasn’t the traditional Fraldarius style like his father and Glenn as her governess was training her in the style mostly preferred by magic users instead of knights.

Her father waited until Glenn left the arena before announcing, “Your three minutes starts now. Come, my dear daughter! Show me what you have learned!”

She charged her father and tried to attack him with a horizontal strike. Rodrigue merely blocked the attack and used his wooden sword to push her away. She couldn’t stop herself from taking a few steps back, her father’s push was too strong for her to stand her ground. She jumped backwards and regained her balance, staring at her father for a moment before charging head on once more. Once she was in range, she raised her wooden sword once more towards his right side. The duke raised his own sword to the right in an effort to block her attack once more but Byleth used that chance to quickly twirl around, using the force of her turning to hit her father’s left side. 

Knowing he wouldn’t be able to block it, Rodrigue quickly took a step back, her strike missing him by only an inch. Byleth didn’t falter, taking a step forward before jumping towards him with her weapon aimed forward. Rodrigue stepped to the side, evading her thrust and she lost her balance as she landed, rolling twice before finally stopping on her knees. She turned to face her father once more, determination burning in her eyes as she got up and charged him again.

None of her attacks were working.

Her father kept blocking or evading them. Even when she tried to pretend to attack one side before charging his other side, he easily evaded or blocked them. Not even sliding between his legs to strike his ankle worked nor trying to strike him from the back. She knew she wasn’t doing anything wrong. Her form was good, her strikes and attacks were good and her plans were good. 

So why?

Why couldn’t she hit him?!

She could feel frustration burning inside her, slowly destroying her thoughts and leaving her with the bitter desire to hit her father, to do everything and anything to finally land a hit.

Too focused on hitting him, she tripped and fell on her knees after another failed attempt in landing a hit. 

“By!” She barely heard her brother shout out of concern.

“Stay where you are, Glenn!” Their father ordered before reminding her, “She still has one minute left.”

One minute.

She needed to get up. She only had one minute left.

She needed…

As she got up, her eyes met with her governess who was staring at her with a stoic expression on her face. The older woman raised an eyebrow as she rested her hand on top of Elster’s head, much to the boy’s confusion.

Byleth’s eyes widened and her grip on her wooden sword tightened. She nodded at her governess before turning to face her father once more. She took a breath and slowly exhaled, continuing the same process as she imagined ice slowly cover the fires of frustration inside her. 

She imagined ice slowly filling her, slowing down her heartbeat and clearing her mind. She let the cold travel from her head to her feet, imagining the way it traveled. 

Then she charged once more.

Rodrigue raised his arm to block her attack but stopped, his eyes widening as a magic circle appear on her right foot. The next time her right foot touched the ground, large ice spikes rose from the ground quickly, traveling straight towards him. He stepped to his right just as a ball of fire slammed against the ice spikes. The impact created a large booming sound and a gust of icy mist erupted from the sudden explosion as small shards of ice scattered everywhere. Rodrigue took another step to the right and felt something poke him on his side. He turned around as the mist dissipated, seeing the face of her daughter as her wooden sword press against his side. She was breathing heavily and sweat fell from her head. Her half-bun was in disarray and her skin was pale, a sure indication that casting a long blizzard spell and quickly casting a fire spell afterwards had her nearing magical exhaustion already. 

Yet her words were clear as she announced, “I land a hit, Father. I win.”

Before he could say anything, they all heard Glenn’s instructor shout, “She used magic! That’s-”

“There was nothing in the rules that say she could not. Duke Fraldarius even specifically said that the Little Lady show him what she has learned. Wouldn’t her progress in magic counted as well in that order?” Her governess cut him off, glaring at him as she reminded him, “Take care of your next words as they may be misunderstood as you accusing the Little Lady of cheating.”

The dark-haired woman’s lips curved into a small smirk as she asked, “But you wouldn’t dare say such a thing to a member of the honorable House Fraldarius, would you?”

“O-of course not!” Her brother’s instructor immediately replied but did not continue what he tried to say before he had been interrupted.

“Miss Hohenheim is correct.” Her father agreed as he approached his daughter. His lips curved into a small smile and he patted his daughter’s head as he said, “That was a wonderful display of both skills and quick thinking.”

“We will end today’s session here.” He turned towards his son as he said, “I expect you to be ready for tomorrow’s session.”

He turned towards his daughter as he added, “Both of you.”

Both children brightened and they shouted, “Of course, Father!”

He nodded at them before walking out of the arena. Taking this as his chance, Glenn rushed towards his sister and wrapped his arms around her waist before lifting her off the ground, “You did it, By!”

Byleth giggled as she dropped her wooden sword before placing her hands on her brother’s shoulder. Both of their laughter filled the arena as the oldest Fraldarius twirled his sister around.

A few feet away from them, both mother and son sat on the floor and let out a relieved sigh while their Little Lady’s governess sighed at the easily worried mother and son combo next to her. 

The night breeze of the 20th night of the Horsebrow Moon was unusually bitter cold, rivaling the ones usually only experienced during the winter months in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. It was such an unexpected cold night that left most inhabitants of Castle Fraldarius retiring early, many of whom were dreading what this unusual cold night could mean for the incoming winter. 

In the warmth brought by the coiling flames of the fireplace in her private chambers, the little lady of House Fraldarius dreamt of the same stone throne she had been dreaming of ever since she could remember. 

Instead of the usual green tinted light, the entire throne room was engulfed in a soft blue light as snow lightly fell from above. The snow never touched the ground, disappearing by the time they reach Byleth’s ankle. When she looked up to see where the snow was coming from, only darkness greeted her. 

She raised her hand and blinked as she realized that what she thought was snow was really ash. She rubbed her fingers, smudging the ashes to the tips of her fingers. 

That wasn’t the only thing strange about the entire scene. Instead of the girl with the long green hair, a woman was sitting on the throne. She was wearing a black dress fitted for winter underneath a thick black silk cloak. Her face was covered by a black veil, held in place by some kind of golden crown shaped into something that she felt like she had seen somewhere before. In her gloved hands was some kind of tattered blue and black cloak that had some kind of white symbol.

Not knowing what else to do, Byleth silently approached the throne room. No matter what she did to the girl sitting on the throne before, the girl would not wake up. Maybe this time, something would happen if she touched the woman currently sitting on the throne.

When she finally reached the woman, Byleth raised her hand to touch one of her gloved hands. The moment her fingers touched the gloved hand, the falling ashes stopped in midair and the entire room grew cold. She could see her breath mist when she exhaled and her hands began to tremble at the bitter cold surrounding her. She heard a voice coming from the woman in front of her but she could not understand what she was saying.

Byleth watched in horror as the cloak burned in front of her and she took a few steps back to not get caught by the flames. She caught a glimpse of light green hair as the woman’s veil was burned away before the woman was engulfed in the same horrible flame. The flames grew until it engulfed the entire throne in some kind of morbid bonfire, warming the entire room. Byleth took a step back once more as the flames began to reach her, forgetting that behind her were the stairs. She lost her footing and fell just before the flames could reach her.

On the morning of the 21th day of the Horsebrow Moon, the little lady of House Fraldarius woke up with tears in her eyes and no recollection of her dreams from the night before. That night, she dreamed of the sleeping girl on her throne once more. 

  
  


**Wyvern Moon, 1164 - Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius **

On the 9th day of the Wyvern Moon, reinforcement from the central and southern kingdom nobles arrived in Fort Appeven. With the additional forces, the kingdom nobles under the leadership of House Gautier managed to finally repel the latest Sreng siege. The 11th day of the Wyvern Moon marked the official end of the Sreng siege with the victory of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus as messengers arrived at both Fhirdiad and Castle Fraldarius to deliver the good news.

Rodrigue was simply relieved to learn that both his brother Luciano and his close friend Ruger were both alright, not that he was worried all that much considering Luciano had been paired with the Red Baron of the North during the siege. The message he had received had been from Luciano and his brother had made a detailed report on both the outcome of the battle, a list of the houses who had participated with information of any individuals who had caught his brother’s eyes and a much more detailed report on the Fraldarius knights and soldiers he had taken with him with a note of what shortcomings he had seen and the steps that must be taken to solve them as well as possible consequences this current siege could create in regards to Fraldarius territory and what must be done to take care of it before it becomes a reality.

Rodrigue couldn’t help but chuckle at the long letter in his hands. His brother may not be a chatterbox but his reports had always been long and detailed. He never minded as it showed how much Luciano cared for their territory. 

If only he could be more vocal about it but Rodrigue wasn’t holding his breath. He was more concern over Luciano’s report about the growing distance between the northern kingdom nobles and the other kingdom nobles that had come to their aid. 

The 13th day of the Wyvern Moon had never been celebrated with much festivity. It might be the date of his birth but Duke Fraldarius had never been one to celebrate such a day. The most celebration that could be seen in Castle Fraldarius was perhaps a more lavish dinner and maybe a nicer bottle of mule wine with maybe a few of his closest friends. Mostly, it would be an excuse for Ruger to visit Castle Fraldarius and get drunk but it was highly unlikely this year as the margrave would be too busy taking care of things in his territory now that Sreng’s latest siege was finally finished. Almost all of the northern kingdom noble houses would probably just send a letter to him with the usual spiel of ‘may you have a wonderful day’ and such which would take him hours to reply to and take precious time from actual reports he needed to read. 

That’s why it had been an accident that he had decided that Glenn and Byleth’s first mock battle to be held on the same day as his birth date. To be completely honest, he would probably never even remembered that it was supposed to be his birthday today had it not been for the surprise arrival of King Lambert and Prince Dimitri late last night.

The king had obviously left Fhirdiad in secret… again. Taking the crown prince with him this time… 

Rodrigue wasn’t sure what his liege could be thinking.

It wasn’t like he could do anything about it anyway. His daughter was overjoyed by the surprise visit and the king made it no secret that he adored the young girl, twirling her around much to her delight. The prince seemed to have gotten over his shyness and was now following his daughter around like some kind of baby duckling, much to everyone’s amusement.

By the time he realized that maybe scheduling his children’s first mock battle during his birthday could be seen as some kind of event by many people, it was already too late as many knights and servants gathered to watch. Even Ainara who had began to regain her strength since last month was there, letting Felix sit on her lap as she sat in one of the more comfortable chairs by the edge of the training arena while her handmaidens made sure that she remained comfortable and warm. Lambert was sitting next to her while the prince was sitting on his lap, the young boy’s attention divided between the battle arena where the two oldest Fraldarius children were preparing for the mock battle and the babbling baby next to him who seemed to like pulling his blond locks. 

Even Glenn and Byleth were absolutely fired up and ready to go. Rescheduling it would just break his children’s heart. 

And annoy a lot of people as well.

With that in mind, he waited for both of his children to walk towards him at the center of the arena. Both of them were holding a training sword that was smaller than the usual one the knights were using but it would hold the same weight as an actual sword of the same size. The blade of both training swords was blunt, he made sure of that. They had been using wooden sword last month but Rodrigue thought it was better they got used to the weight of a real sword sooner rather than later. 

Once both of them were facing one another next to him, he started in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, “Today’s mock battle will be between the two of you only. One round, three minutes time limit. Whoever drops their sword first loses. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!” They both replied.

Rodrigue nodded before ordering, “Take your position!”

Both children took a few steps back before readying themselves, holding their training sword using the Fraldarius swordsmanship style. Rodrigue took a few steps back before announcing, “Begin!”

As he expected, it was Glenn who charged first, aiming to swipe his sister’s legs. Byleth was faster, dodging the swipe by jumping forward as she tried to hit him with a downward slash. Glenn rolled out of the way and was immediately on the offensive once more, this time aiming for Byleth’s torso. 

Byleth crouched to evade his slash and swiped Glenn off his feet with a quick kick.

His son yelped and his daughter was immediately on top of him, trying to keep him pinned to the ground with her weight.

Unfortunately, Glenn was strong enough to simply push her off him, making her grunt before they both took a few steps back to gather their wits. 

They circled around the arena, looking for an opening. It was a tense few moments before both children charged each other once more.

From where he was standing, Rodrigue had a clear view of the battle between his two children. As he had expected, Glenn was stronger and had a good form of the Fraldarius style of swordsmanship. On the other hand, Byleth was faster and she was quick to drop the Fraldarius style and use the style she had been trained with before if she felt that it would give her an advantage. Glenn was becoming the very image of a Fraldarius knight, nimble and quick with devastating single strikes while Byleth seemed to be more of a wildcard, just as nimble and quick but more versatile with her use of both sword and magic.

That was what Glenn was cautious about. Both of them knew that Byleth could use magic and she was allowed to use it in any way she wanted. It wasn’t a guaranteed win by any means but it was a valuable arsenal on Byleth’s side. However, the downside to it was her small body couldn’t take casting more than two to three spells at the moment as she had just started her magical studies this year so she needed to make sure each spell counted. On the other hand, Glenn’s minor crest of Fraldarius was his own trump card. He may not be able to control when it will be activated but he can use it to overpower Byleth if it would activate. If, by chance, he gets to strike Byleth during the time his crest activated, there was a high chance of him winning by sheer power alone.

And then, there was Byleth’s crest. From what Rodrigue could observed, her crest’s main boon seemed to be to heal or mitigate any wounds Byleth would receive. Another boon that seemed to be less likely to occur was almost like Byleth had a precognition on where her opponent would attack next. Either she instinctively knew when to dodge or her reaction time had become much faster than normal for a few seconds. Regardless, this other boon also seem to make any of Byleth’s next attack stronger than usual. It had become easier to hide both of her crest’s boons now as his daughter’s fighting style relied on being able to evade and dodge any attack. Even if she did get hit, she usually managed to evade a direct hit, only managing to get small cuts instead which her crest would immediately heal. Because of that, observers had mistaken the times she had actually been hit as close calls and started to praise her speed and quick thinking. He knew that everyone was talking about how she was compensating for her crestless status by learning magic for offense and relying on evading and dodging for defense. Many believed that most crests would be useless in a battle if the bearer cannot hit their target and no one who knew how varied crest boons were bothered to correct their assumption. 

At the minute mark, a magic circle appeared on Byleth’s right foot and the duke knew from experience that she was planning to use a blizzard spell. It was unusual to have a magic user focus their magic circle anywhere but their hands or their wands but it wasn’t unheard of. The main reason why it wasn’t commonly practiced was because many found it hard to direct the raw energy to be used on their feet, having spent years honing their skills using their hands instead. It worked well in Byleth’s favor as many would become surprised by her blizzard spell and he was sure that it was for that reason that her governess had made sure Byleth was being trained in spellwork with both her hands and legs. He did ask his daughter why she never tried to do it with a fire spell and the little girl admitted that the first time she tried to do such a thing, she had accidentally set her leg on fire. Rodrigue almost had a heart attack, had it not been for her governess correcting that Byleth had been wearing fire resistant clothes then and they had immediately drenched her in water so she wasn’t burned at all. 

Byleth kept Glenn’s attention on her hands as she tried to hit him with a downward slash. At the same time spikes of ice rose from the ground around Glenn, his minor crest of Fraldarius activated as he parried her strike. The crest infused strike vibrated all over the training sword, forcing Byleth to let go of it the same time Glenn’s hand smacked against one of the ice pillars that sprouted around him, making him yelp and he unintentionally let go of his sword as his wrist hit the cold ice pillar. Both of their swords clattered to the floor almost in unison and both of his children could only stare at their swords in surprise. 

The entire training arena was silent, unsure of who had dropped their sword first. Even Rodrigue was unsure which sword had dropped first. They had both dropped almost at the same time. 

For goddess’ sake, he wasn’t even sure if they hadn’t dropped at the same time!

His eyes met his liege who gave him an apologetic smile and shook his head before turning to the Lionguard right next to him. Rodrigue turned to face the Lionguard as well who simply shrugged.

Rodrigue sighed before turning to face the two children as he declared, “As both swords were dropped at almost the same time, this match will be counted as a draw!”

The audience was silent for a moment before Lambert began to clap. The prince and duchess joined in the clapping afterwards. Finally, everyone began to clap while Glenn smiled at his younger sister as he said, “That was pretty good, By.”

His smile became sharper as he added, “Next time, I’m going to win.”

Byleth’s eyes narrowed as she replied, “You mean next, next time, Wen, because I’m going to win next time.”

“You said it now, By.” The smile on Glenn’s face didn’t drop as he continued, “You know what this means, right, my dear sister?”

“I don’t know what you mean, my dear brother.” The same sharp smile finally appeared on Byleth’s lips as she said, “I believe it means that I’m going to take you down next time.”

From where Rodrigue was standing, it seemed to mean that he had unintentionally sparked a rivalry between his two children. 

After the lavish dinner that was even more extravagant than usual due to the appearance of the king and prince, Rodrigue escorted his liege to his office for some after-dinner drinking. He poured them a glass of the strongest Mateus mulled wine he had been hiding in one of the drawers of his desk and Lambert raised his glass as he said with a soft smile on his face, “Happy birthday, my dear friend.”

Rodrigue raised his glass as well and let the glass tap his king’s glass lightly as he replied, “Thank you, Lambert.”

Before they could take a drink, someone knocked on the door. They turned to look at one another before Lambert shrugged. Taking that as an agreement, Rodrigue ordered, “Come in.”

The Lionguard posted on the other side of the door opened it before taking a step back outside. 

“Father, Your Majesty.” Byleth greeted, walking inside with Dimitri walking behind her. The prince grabbed the sleeve of her dress as she asked, “Dima and I will be having tea now.”

“Is that so?” The duke replied, unsure why his daughter was telling him this right now. She never tried to ask permission whenever she had evening tea with someone, even when her tea partner for the night had been of someone of lower stature than her. That’s when his daughter glanced at the king right next to him and Rodrigue realized that someone (perhaps her governess) had probably told her to ask permission this time as Dimitri was of a higher stature than her.

Or perhaps it was because of that ridiculous rumor that he had never been able to snuff out before it left the northern kingdom territories about the two of them being already in love when they were still both too young.

Both could be the reason for the sudden formality. 

“Sir Giraud, would it be too much to ask that you join Byleth and His Highness’ evening tea?” Rodrigue asked, turning his attention to the Lionguard who was always close to his liege, knowing full well that it could only be Jeralt as the other Lionguards wouldn’t dare to stand that close. Even if it was hidden by the lion helmet he wore, the duke knew for a fact that he had managed to surprise the legendary Blade Breaker with his request.

“If His Majesty has no problem with it…” Jeralt replied in an almost unsure tone, making Lambert shake his head as he smiled at his Lionguard.

“Of course I have no problem with it.” Lambert replied with a kind smile before turning towards Byleth as he asked, “Will it be okay if Sir Giraud joined your tea party tonight, Byleth?”

The young Fraldarius girl turned towards the shy prince who nodded at her. She nodded back and returned her attention back to the king before she said with a nod, “Okay.”

“Great!” Lambert’s smile grew and he turned towards his Lionguard as he said, “Go on, Sir Giraud. Do try and have fun for tonight.”

The Lionguard snorted before snarking back at his liege, “I’ll do my best, sire.”

The younger man simply chuckled at his guard’s cheek and they watched as the knight offered his hand to the little girl. They walked out of the room with Byleth holding Jeralt’s hand with her left hand while she held Dimitri’s hand with her right hand. 

Once one of the Lionguards posted by the door closed it, Lambert turned towards Rodrigue and whispered, “Thank you, Rodrigue.”

The duke simply shrugged and sat on the desk chair as he replied, “I did not do anything special.” 

With those words, he closed any conversation they could have about this current situation. Rodrigue didn’t really want to talk about it and Lambert would not push him to, knowing how delicate the situation between his closest friend, his new Lionguard and the young girl stuck in the middle was. 

The dark-haired man took a sip from his glass as he watched his king walked towards the window, staring outside as he took a sip of his own glass before he asked, “Is it true that the heir of House Lalouette joined the defense against Sreng?” 

“I have received confirmation from Luciano that the reinforcement from House Lalouette was indeed led by the current heir.” Rodrigue replied as he placed his glass on the table, silently thankful for the change of subject. 

“The current heir couldn’t have been older than Alfin, right?” Lambert’s eyes narrowed as he said, “He’s much too young to be on a battlefield.”

“House Lalouette had always been a reckless house. They have an unparalleled bloodlust and a crest that stops the bearer from feeling any pain.” Rodrigue reminded his liege, knowing full well that it was because of these points that House Lalouette was a valuable ally in the battlefield but a bit troublesome to get along with, a fact he knew mainly from the many times Sigurn had shown her displeasure of having to deal with them. The crest in question only stopped the bearer from feeling pain but the wounds and broken bones would not be healed. It was a double-edged sword and Rodrigue knew that many bearers of that crest would fight until they died or until they lose consciousness. Combined with the bloodlust that seemed to be hereditary in House Lalouette, the combination made their bearers a force to be reckoned with. The noble house mainly kept to themselves, especially after the defection of House Galatea from the Leicester Alliance. Many of the lands under House Galatea had been unofficially part of Lalouette territory and there were rumors that House Lalouette still held a grudge over the title of count given to House Galatea while House Lalouette remained a baronship only, retaining their official land between Galatea and Charon territory. It was hard to know what House Lalouette was thinking as they had always been an aloof noble house that took no interest in the political maneuvering in Fhirdiad but one of the most dedicated in ensuring all the orders of the Blaiddyds were carried out to the letter by their knight order. Both Count Charon and Sigurn had a few chosen words when it concerned the noble house and their knight order but they both agreed that their berserker-like strength was worthy of both praise and disdain. Those who lived under House Lalouette rule knew only two things: discipline and violence. As long as they followed the rules of the land, they could live in peace. Those who dare go against the noble house were easily devoured by the fangs of House Lalouette. Rodrigue knew that his king wasn’t sure if that noble house was loyal to his family or to whoever was ruling Faerghus but, as they kept to themselves and were cordial to both House Charon and House Galatea (to an extent), Lambert and his ancestors never really took House Lalouette to be of great concern at the moment. 

However, the focus on that specific house right now was so surprising that Rodrigue could not help but ask, “Why the sudden interest with House Lalouette? They mainly keep to themselves and should have no sway in the Royal Court… unless the southern kingdom nobles have finally seen reason and have removed Lord Kleiman as their representative.”

Lambert couldn’t help but let out a chuckle before he asked, “Do you really think that the current Baron Lalouette would be better?”

“He would certainly be more qualified.” Rodrigue replied without a hint of sarcasm before adding in a deadpan tone, “Perhaps the child heir would even be more qualified than Lord Kleiman himself. He has already won his first battle. That’s more than can be said about Lord Kleiman.”

“Rodrigue!” Lambert scolded, letting out a small laugh before saying, “Perhaps you have drank too much for the night, my friend.”

The duke didn’t bother to remind his king that they were still on their first glass and he only had two glasses of wine during dinner. Instead, Rodrigue shrugged before asking once more, “If it does not concern the Royal Court, why the sudden interest with House Lalouette? They’re only doing what they’ve been doing since the creation of our kingdom, quench their bloodlust in the battlefield under the banner of the Holy Kingdom.”

“Did your brother mentioned anything about how Ruger reacted to the child heir?” The king asked instead of answering his friend, making the duke frown.

“No, Luciano didn’t say anything about Ruger in regards to House Lalouette’s reinforcements.” Rodrigue replied, staring at his liege with slightly furrowed brows.

“That boy… he would only be maybe three or four years older than Miklan.” Lambert reminded his closest friend as he raised his head to stare at the stars above. 

“You think Ruger might get the idea that Miklan and Sylvain should be in the battlefield at the same age as the Lalouette heir.” Rodrigue realized in horror. He shook his head as he reasoned, “No. Ruger will not do such a thing. He might be brash and House Gautier’s methods may seem cruel at times but even they should know that having a child that young in the battlefield is too much.”

“Would they see it that way?” Lambert turned to stare at Rodrigue seriously, “Or would they see a child leading soldiers and knights on the battlefield while their own heir stayed in the safety of House Fraldarius?”

The blond king closed his eyes as he reasoned, “We both know that House Lalouette had always been strange and having the heir be on the battlefield that young isn’t exactly surprising considering what we know about that noble house but the soldiers and knights of House Gautier don’t know that. Most nobles here in the northern territories barely even have heard of House Lalouette as they mainly kept their activities in their own territory.”

A bitter smile appeared on Lambert’s lips as he added, “The only reason why House Lalouette had even sent a reinforcement had been because I have sent a royal order.”

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he mused mirthlessly, “I wonder if sending that boy had been some kind of passive-aggressiveness on their part?”

“Whether it was some form of protest or just them being their usual strange self, the fact remains that having the heir child on the battlefield would have struck a chord on House Gautier’s knights and soldiers.” 

Lambert stared at his friend as he said seriously, “Just keep an eye on Ruger and House Gautier for me. Make sure the boys are safe?”

“As you command, sire.” Rodrigue replied as he bowed even though he wondered if he even hold any sway on what may happen with the Gautier boys.

For his own children’s sake, he truly hope he could help.

**Red Wolf Moon, 1164 - Ainara Violette Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius **

The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus Founding Day for the year 1164 marked the first time that the entire family of House Fraldarius spent their morning in the Forest of Silence. The supposedly distant brother of the duke came the night before, much to the delight of the duke’s children, and the duchess had finally regained enough strength to enjoy horse riding for a few hours.

As such, all of the members of House Fraldarius spent their morning in the clearing filled with winter flowers. 

Ainara watched as Rodrigue played with their two oldest children. It didn’t take her long to realize that even when he was playing with them, his methods could still be seen as some form of training. 

She was worried.

She knew and understood that Glenn was always meant to be a knight. It was what was expected of Fraldarius men. When the baby in her lap reach the same age, he too would take up the sword and be taught the same way as his older brother was being taught right now.

That didn’t mean that she would ever stop worrying about them.

She could still remember the day that Rodrigue begged for her to agree in the bethrothment between their son and the Galatea girl. All she could think that day was how that meant her oldest son would take over Galatea territory once his service as a knight would come to pass instead of taking over Fraldarius territory as what was initially planned.

This meant that the ruling of House Fraldarius would fall on Felix’s instead. To the small child in her arms right now… 

A child they don’t even know would have a crest of his own…

Then there was House Mateus’ lack of an heir as well. One of the conditions that had been placed when she was married into House Fraldarius was that one of their crest bearing children would become heir to House Mateus. This had become impossible now as Felix would become the next heir of House Fraldarius regardless if he had a crest or not while Byleth had been proclaimed crestless. She knew for a fact that her husband would not chain Byleth to becoming the heir of House Fraldarius. She didn’t know what he had planned for their daughter but what she did know that the one who actually held her daughter’s future wasn’t any of them but King Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd. 

She couldn’t help but worry how House Mateus would take it once Rodrigue announced that Felix would be the heir of House Fraldarius instead of Byleth and they learned that she could no longer bear a child without the risk of death, a risk that her husband would never challenge. That did not change the fact that their marriage had been a way to strengthen House Blaiddyd’s hold on House Mateus. This would mean any slight from House Fraldarius would be seen as a slight from House Blaiddyd.

Ainara’s musing came to a halt when she heard her youngest child giggle on her lap. She turned her attention away from her husband and two children and looked at Felix, blinking when she saw the flower crown adorning her child’s head. She gently touched one of the winter flowers coiled around the crown as she heard the soft voice of her brother-in-law asked, “I hope you don’t mind.”

She turned towards Luciano who had been sitting next to her silently and finally noticed that he was weaving another flower crown already, his attention completely taken by the task at hand.

She wasn’t entirely sure what to think of Luciano. She only had one older sister and she had died a few years back so she wasn’t sure how to act around a sibling like Luciano. He didn’t like to be near any of them but he visited her every day to ask how she was doing when he had been living in the castle to support her husband. She also saw how he had been patient and attentive in instructing both Glenn and Byleth in riding their ponies on their way here just this morning and now, here he was, weaving a flower crown of all things. She had heard about it from her daughter a year ago but she couldn’t imagine it at all. Now, being presented with the actual scene of a battle hardened knight like Luciano weaving a flower crown while being surrounded by flowers was quite a strange sight. 

She didn’t know how to react to the strangeness of her brother-in-law. But then again, there were times that even Rodrigue seemed strange to her.

Perhaps it was simply the difference between a central kingdom noble like her and northern kingdom nobles like House Fraldarius?

“Can you… teach me how to do that?” She asked instead, finding a bit of amusement over the surprised expression that decorated the usually stoic face of the younger Fraldarius lord.

He blinked at the question and opened his mouth. He stopped before he could utter any sound and closed his mouth but Ainara knew that he wanted to ask why someone like her didn’t know how to weave a flower crown. Maybe it was a common skill for them but not to Ainara who spent her childhood surrounded by the many books of the library in Castle Mateus in between the many lessons she had to endure under the strict guidance of her father. 

The large library of Castle Mateus may be the only thing Ainara missed from the place she had been born and raised in.

Perhaps when her health has improved some more, she could ask Rodrigue that she and Byleth be allowed to visit Castle Mateus. She was sure their daughter would love the library there.

“O-of course.” Her brother-in-law finally replied, scooting closer towards her as he started. He dropped the flower crown he had been making onto the ground before he cut the stem of three winter flowers. He kept his focus on the flowers as he started, “There are many ways to create a flower crown. The one I’ll be teaching you work best because the stems of the flowers here are very flexible. What you want to do is make sure they’re of the same length…”

Ainara watched attentively as Luciano trimmed the stems of the three flowers he got. She didn’t know where he got the thread he used to tie the three flowers loosely together but she kept quiet instead of asking, noticing how focused the man was at the task at hand. Her silence was finally broken when she noticed how well he was braiding the stems of the flowers together, “You’re quite good at braiding.”

A small smile appeared on Luciano’s face as he replied absentmindedly, “Rodrigue is much better than me. He used to braid my hair when we were children.”

Ainara tilted her head as she commented, “I didn’t know you had long hair before. Why do you keep your hair short now?”

Luciano’s hands stopped at that question and his voice was void of any emotion as he replied quietly, “There was no one to braid it.”

Guilt gripped her chest at the reminder that the younger Fraldarius lord had been living in Castle Gautier since he was fourteen years old and had only returned to Fraldarius territory when their father had died. She wasn’t exactly the right person to talk about these kinds of things. Every noble in the kingdom, and possibly all of Fodlan, would have a similar sad story. Anyone who would say otherwise were either lying or would be the source of such a sad story. That was simply how it worked here in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. 

Instead, she picked three random flowers near her and asked, “Would these work?”

A small almost unnoticeable smile graced the younger lord’s face as he handed her his knife while saying, “They’ll work. You’ll have to trim it first so that they’re all the same height. That would make it easier to braid them later.”

Ainara took the knife he had offered and deftly trimmed the flowers in her hands, having some knowledge on how to trim flowers due to her upbringing as a noble lady. She might have never learned how to weave a flower crown but she did know how to trim and arrange flowers to be aesthetically pleasing. 

The duchess of House Fraldarius spent the rest of the morning trying to follow her brother-in-law’s instructions. She wasn’t sure if making a flower crown was harder than it looked or she was simply bad at it. In the end, she could only make one flower crown as opposed to the two flower crowns that Luciano had made during the time he had been instructing her. Compared to the beautifully crafted flower crowns that now adorned her children’s heads, hers were messy and some of the flowers were already falling off. Still, she handed it to her husband silently, already prepared for the pity she would hear. 

“For me?” The duke asked in a surprised tone as he took the messy flower crown she had made. Ainara simply nodded silently, fearing that she would say something embarrassing if she opened her mouth. Behind him, she could see her children smiling as they tried to help Felix walk while Glenn and Byleth held one of his hands, the beautiful flower crowns on their heads made them look like the children of the goddess playing in the fields like in one of the many books Ainara read as a child. 

“Thank you, Ainara.” His soft voice brought her attention back at him and she saw how her flower crown was too messy and was a bit too small to truly fit him but, still, she couldn’t help the warming of her cheeks when she saw the soft smile on his face. 

She was saved from embarrassing herself as their three children ran towards them with both Glenn and Byleth holding a handful of flowers on the hand they weren’t using to hold Felix’s hand. They held the flowers towards her and said, “For you, mother!”

She knelt and took the flowers from her children’s hands as she said with a soft smile on her face, “Thank you.”

**Ethereal Moon, 1164 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Blaiddyd **

The start of the Ethereal Moon brought a question from her brother that had Byleth stumped for a while, “Have you thought of what to give Prince Dimitri as a present for his birthday?” 

She knew that Dimitri’s birthday was coming up and she hadn’t really thought that she needed to give him a gift until Glenn had reminded her.

Truth be told, she had never given anyone a gift before. Her parents and Glenn never expected a gift from her. She celebrated her birthday and Sylvain’s birthday together so it wasn’t necessary to give a present to Sylvain that day. She never visited Castle Gautier during Miklan’s birthday or Castle Galatea during Alfin’s or Judah’s birthday but she did know that they planned to visit Castle Galatea for Ingrid’s birthday.

She supposed she would also have to think of what she should give as a gift to Ingrid since they would become sisters once Glenn married her but she’ll think about what to give the little girl later.

For now, she didn’t know what to give the prince at all.

What she did know was that she really liked the flower brooch he gave her for her birthday so she wanted to give him something similar.

For that purpose, she rummaged the jewelry box for accessories she had that she never used at all, looking for something similar to the idea currently forming in her head. Once she found something similar to what she wanted, she went to the castle blacksmith in the foyer near the guard tower of Castle Fraldarius.

“Hello, Little Lady.” The blacksmith greeted with a grin as the little lady approached him. She had invited him to tea once before and she had been visiting more often now that she was using a training sword for repairs. There was also a blacksmith on the lower castle that the commoners would go to but she wasn’t sure she would be permitted to visit the lower castle nor did she know the blacksmith there. 

Byleth sat on the chair near the table filled with many pieces of papers full of designs for various weapons and pieces of equipment which the blacksmith would forge for the knights. He didn’t know how to read but he had been forging for so long that he knew how to forge any requests as long as he had the design.

He was still surprised when he heard of the Little Lady’s request, especially after he helped her put her design on paper and seen the accessories she would like him to use. 

After they had finalized the design, he warned her, “I have never made a brooch before, Milady, so I’m not sure if I can do this. Usually, specific metalworkers makes brooches like this, not blacksmiths.”

“I asked around.” Byleth replied, frowning slightly as she explained, “We don’t have any metalworkers here in Castle Fraldarius.”

The blacksmith chuckled before commenting, “I’m not surprised. People like us don’t really have any interest in trinkets like this. We’re more of the practical type, not like those people from central and southern territories.”

Her frown deepened as she asked, “So you can’t do it?”

“I didn’t say that.” The blacksmith replied with a grin, “For our Little Lady’s sake, I will certainly do my best.”

Byleth’s lips curved into a smile as she said, “Thank you!”

It was on the 10th day of the Ethereal Moon that the castle blacksmith gave her Dimitri’s finished present. That day, Elster was keeping her company while his mother and her governess were busy making sure the luggage they would be bringing to Fhirdiad for their visit later that month had everything they would need. The blacksmith presented the brooch to her inside a simple dark blue box. Elster stared at it over her shoulder and asked, “A wolf brooch?”

Byleth nodded as she took the brooch from the box. The wolf with the blue gems as its eyes actually came from a necklace she had received as a birthday present. She didn’t know exactly who had given it to her and there was a possibility that the gift had been meant for Sylvain instead of her considering how unlady-like the necklace had been in the first place but she didn’t mind since that meant she could use it for Dimitri’s gift instead. She was sure Sylvain wouldn’t care as he was never one for accessories anyway. Behind the wolf was the penannular brooch that she had asked the blacksmith to make and attach to the wolf. It was a simple in design, using a damascus steel so that it would help in magic spells like her own brooch. 

“Why not a lion?” The boy next to her asked curiously, most probably thinking about how their kingdom was represented by the Blue Lions in Garreg Mach’s Officers Academy. 

“The lion is King Loog’s symbol.” Byleth reminded him, tracing the wolf’s head with her thumb as she added, “House Blaiddyd’s symbol before King Loog was a wolf and we all know about the great adventures of the ancient wolf kings and queens.”

Her lips curved into a small smile as she continued, “I want Dima to be as great as them, a king that would rival the strongest of the ancient wolf kings and queens.”

Elster hummed and pointed at the sigil dangling underneath the wolf’s head, an addition that she had asked that the blacksmith forge for her, “Oh! That star’s the Blaiddyd crest then, right? The royal family’s crest does look like a star!”

Byleth simply hummed as she traced the simple eight-pointed star below the wolf’s head. She couldn’t really explained to the boy next to her that the star wasn’t supposed to symbolize the crest of Blaiddyd. Instead, it was the star she had seen on the crown the sleeping girl on the throne wore in her dreams. 

She didn’t really understand it but she felt like adding the star made perfect sense to her. As if her present, her wish that Dimitri grew up to as strong and wise as the ancient wolf kings and queens would not come true if she didn’t add the little star from her dreams. 

On the 13th day of the Ethereal Moon, a furious snow storm raged the entirety of Faerghus, making travel impossible. 

**Guardian Moon, 1164 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius **

The true start of winter was heralded by a furious snow storm that took everyone by surprise. The entire castle was locked in, unable to even send a message out to any of the nearby towns or villages. The snow storm persisted for the following months, leaving everyone dreading what this could mean in terms of their supplies. 

It was during the month of the Guardian Moon that Byleth saw her brother wrapping a toy lance with ribbons when she had come to visit her brother in his room with Felix in her arms. With the snow storm in full swing, everyone in the castle was too busy to take care of the three Fraldarius children which was okay because both Glenn and Byleth were old enough to take care of themselves. Byleth didn’t mind taking care of her little brother too and Felix was such a well mannered baby when he was being held by either his mother or his sister so it worked well for everyone. Her nanny would come to them once in a while with food for all three children but she rarely saw Elster since the start of the snow storm since he was busy doing errands in the castle for everyone. 

She tried helping once but she was asked to take care of Felix instead and not get in anyone’s way.

That’s why when Glenn didn’t join them in her room where they usually play together or where her two brothers would listen to her read a book, she went looking for him. 

That’s when she saw Glenn wrapping various colorful ribbons on a toy lance while he was sitting on the floor. All around him were various kinds of ribbons with different colors and sizes. Byleth let Felix crawl towards their brother, happily tugging the different ribbons his chubby hands could grab. 

“What’re you doing, Wen?” Byleth asked as she walked towards the two boys. She sat next to Felix and grabbed the baby, making him sit on her lap as the youngest Fraldarius waved the ribbon in delight.

“I’m making a gift for Ingrid’s birthday.” Glenn replied as he stared at the ribbons in front of him, seriously contemplating which ribbon to add next.

“But her birthday has already passed.” Byleth remembered because Glenn had wanted to visit House Galatea that day to celebrate but their father had denied his request due to the harsh snow storm outside.

“I know.” Glenn replied as he picked a light blue ribbon from the pile on the floor. He began to wrap the ribbon on the toy lance as he explained, “I’ll give this to her when we see her next time.”

She hummed at her brother’s reply and picked up a white lace ribbon as she asked, “Are you making her a gift because you’re going to marry her?”

Glenn shrugged as he replied, “Not really. Just thought it would be nice to give her a present for this year, you know? Everyone else got a present. It’s not fair she doesn’t because of this stupid snow.”

“I’m sure her parents gave her a present.” Byleth reasoned, trying to tie the white lace ribbon on her little brother’s short hair, “Even if they don’t, Alfin and Judah would definitely remember to give her a present.”

Her brother was silent for a moment before finally asking, “Have you heard about the rumors?”

She let her brother change the subject as she asked, “Rumor?”

A smirk appeared on the older boy’s face as he said, “They say that if you stay awake late at night here in the west wing, you’d hear a clattering sound. If you go and investigate, you’ll see the ghost of a woman in mourning.”

She frowned as she said, “That sounds like a lie.”

“Probably.” He shrugged before grinning as he asked, “Wanna see and find out?”

“How are we going to do that when I’m taking care of Felix?” She asked instead of answering her brother.

The answer came in the form of the shy son of her nanny who couldn’t say no when Glenn had asked him to take care of Felix in Byleth’s stead once the baby was asleep.

Byleth had pointed out that Elster had no idea how to take care of Felix.

Glenn had pointed out that Felix would be asleep anyway so Elster just need to keep watch until they returned.

Glenn, unsurprisingly, won at the end and all four children stayed in Byleth’s room after dinner. Byleth wasn’t sure how her brother had gotten Elster to stay with them for the night as the servant boy usually worked even after dinner but she didn’t mind as that meant they had another playmate for the rest of the night. 

As expected, Felix dozed off an hour after dinner. They kept quiet and let the baby sleep on Byleth’s bed while playing with the board game their father had given Glenn. Glenn taught them how to play and soon realized that both Byleth and Elster were better at thinking of which piece to play on their turn. He didn’t mind since he didn’t really like to think too hard about things anyway. He was fine with his little sister doing all the hard thinking for him.

About a few hours after Felix had fallen asleep, Glenn ushered Byleth out of the room, much to Elster’s worry, not that he could say anything to stop Glenn though.

At the sight of the tears in the younger boy’s eyes though, Glenn finally relented and changed his plans to simply hiding in Glenn’s room instead of roaming the halls. They didn’t bother to light any of the candles or even the fireplace as they kept the door open so they could peek outside. The ghost might see the light and disappear if they kept even just the fireplace lit for warmth. 

To protect themselves from the cold, they wrapped themselves in all the blankets and thick pieces of clothing Glenn had in his room, looking like a mound of fabrics instead of two noble children of such a respectable house. 

They kept a silent vigil over the small gap of the opened door in hopes of seeing this supposed ghost in mourning.

Byleth wasn’t sure how much time had passed but she thinks she actually dozed off before being rudely awakened by the sound of clattering that echoed all over the silent hallway. 

Beside her, Glenn froze and both children could only watch with bated breath as the clattering continued to echo all over the hallway, sounding like it was coming closer and closer to them.

Glenn grabbed his sister’s hand and she felt him shaking, knowing it wasn’t the cold that was slowly enveloping them even after they had wrapped themselves in so many pieces of clothing and blankets. 

They both couldn’t move but they both knew that the sound was coming closer.

And closer.

And closer.

Then the clattering stop. 

Both children were breathing heavily, the air misting over their face every time they exhale. 

That was when a single dark eye suddenly appeared from the gap of the door.

Glenn screamed as he tried to pull the door closed but a pale hand grabbed it and pulled it open. Glenn lost his balance and fell on the floor, taking his sister with him as they were both wrapped in the same mountain of blankets and pieces of warm clothing. Blankets and fabrics fluttered in the air at the sudden movement and the clattering started once more, broken only by a voice they both knew well, “Little Lady, Little Lord, what in the eternal flames are you both doing in a room with no warmth?”

They raised their heads to finally meet the gaze of the supposedly mourning ghost. Clutched in one of her hands was a small light crystal, softly lighting her form. 

Dressed in all black with teeth clattering against the cold, Katherine Hohenheim did look like some kind of ghost with her usual pale complexion made even paler by the soft light of her light crystal. 

“You’re the mourning ghost?!” Glenn exclaimed as he stared at his sister’s governess.

The clattering of her teeth momentarily stopped as the older woman replied in an icy tone, “I have no idea what you mean by ‘moaning ghost’ but there is no ghost here in Castle Fraldarius, Little Lord.”

“Go now, you two troublemakers.” Her governess shooed, “Go back to the Little Lady’s room before anyone else finds you and you actually get in trouble.”

“You’re not going to scold us?” Byleth asked with a slight tilt of her head.

Katherine knelt in front of the two children and said seriously, “I’ll make you a deal. I won’t tell anyone about this ridiculous stunt you two pulled if you two don’t tell anyone I’m this supposedly clattering ghost. Deal?”

Both children looked at one another for a moment before nodding at the older woman with Glenn saying, “Okay, deal.”

The woman dressed in all black nodded back before shooing them once more, “Now, go back to Little Lady’s room and don’t ever do this again, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Glenn replied with a grin and grabbed his sister’s hand, running back to the warmth of Byleth’s room.

When they entered her room, both children sighed at the warmth of the room, rushing towards the fireplace. Elster raised his head from where he had been reading one of the books Byleth had left on the nightstand and asked, “Did you see the ghost?”

“No ghost.” Glenn replied, grinning as he warmed his hands against the flames of the fireplace, as he explained with mirth dancing in his eyes, “Just some poor lady that can’t handle Fraldarius winter.” 

  
  


**Pegasus Moon, 1164 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius **

The harsh winter continued well into the month of Pegasus Moon and everyone in Castle Fraldarius has started to feel the effect more severely. With the current severity of the snowstorm plaguing the kingdom, it soon became clear that the supplies they had prepared for this year’s winter would not be enough. Due to this, they had started to ration their current supplies and the duke had even started to give half of his ration to the duchess in fear that her health would plummet during these trying times. 

Both of Glenn’s and Byleth’s training had been postponed as both her governess and his instructor were busy trying to help around the castle. Because of this, the three Fraldarius children spent their days huddled together in the comfort of a warm thick blanket by the fireplace with Byleth reading out loud books from the library or, sometimes, when her nanny would have the time, she would tell them stories about the ancient Wolf Kings and Queens. Glenn especially loved the stories with huge battles and knight duels. 

On the night of the 20th day of the Pegasus Moon, it was just Byleth and Felix sitting by the fireplace with Byleth reading her little brother a story about a lost lion looking for his family during a snowstorm. Glenn would usually join them by now but Byleth wasn’t worried. Some nights, Glenn prefered to sleep alone so it was probably just one of those nights. 

“And the lion cried tears of joy as his family hug him. The end.” She read, letting her little brother pat the picture of the lion being reunited with his family. She dropped her head onto the floor, the side of her head rest against the rug as she watched her little brother crawl right next to her. He rested his head right next to her and traced the flower brooch she had pinned on the lapel of her white long-sleeved buttoned shirt with his fingers. She covered his finger with hers and wondered out loud, “I wonder how King Lamb and Dima are doing right now? Are they staying warm?”

She thought of the present sitting on her nightstand and wondered if the king and the prince were thinking of her like how she was thinking of them right now. She closed her eyes and mumbled, “Do they have tea in Fhirdiad?” 

She sighed, missing the taste of tea and the happiness she felt whenever she had tea with someone. All of her tea had been distributed to the knights and servants to keep them warm during the worst of this time which Byleth understood. 

She just missed tea, that’s all. 

She opened her eyes lazily when she heard the door open. She heard someone running towards them and shivered when their blanket was yanked open for a bit before someone scooted close to both of them. Byleth turned to face the newcomer and mumbled, “Where’ve you been, Wen?”

Glenn grinned at both of them and placed a plate in front of Felix. On the plate was a slice of bread topped with so much Bergamot marmalade that it was already overflowing. Glenn ruffled his baby brother’s hair as he whispered, “Sorry, we don’t have cake for your birthday, Fely. Next year, I’ll make sure we get a cake, okay?”

Glenn kissed the top of Felix’ head as he whispered, “Happy birthday, baby brother.”

Glenn grinned at his sister who kissed Felix’s cheek before whispering, “Happy birthday, Felix.” 

Under the cold dark night of Pegasus Moon during one of the harshest winter, three children quietly giggled as they messily ate a piece of bread overflowing with Bergamot marmalade. 

**Lone Moon, 1164 - Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius, Castle Fraldarius **

Around mid-Lone Moon, the Goddess brought mercy upon the people of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus as the viscious snow storm finally dissipated. Each day brought more warmth, sending the message that the harshest part of winter has come to pass. 

Yet, there was one night where another terrible snow storm raged the entire kingdom. 

On that specific night, Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius was walking the empty hallway of the east wing alone with a small lantern to guide her way. She had forgotten the book she had been reading in her favorite balcony since it had been a sunny day before the snow storm appeared out of nowhere and feared that the harsh snow storm would destroy her book. When she finally reached the balcony, she blinked when she saw someone sitting by the corner, shrouded in darkness. The light of her lantern was too small for her to see who it was but she could see a trail of blood leading to whoever it was sitting in the darkness. After taking the book she had been looking for in her other hand, she took a step forward, raising the hand holding the lantern forward to see more of the figure sitting in the shadows.

It was a man with his head down, wearing some kind of black armor and a blue cloak with black and white fur. He seemed to be holding his side so that may have been where the blood was coming from. His blond hair and armor were dirty and muddy, almost as if he had been rolling on the ground. She took another step forward and asked, “Are you alright, sir?”

The man jolted at the sound of her voice but kept his head down. Byleth opened her mouth to speak once more but stopped when she heard him say, “It has been a lifetime…”

The man slowly raised his head as he asked, “Hasn’t it-”

“Milady!” 

Byleth turned to face the person who had called her, staring as Elster ran towards her, holding a bigger lantern in his hand. He looked at her worriedly as he said, “So this is where you were. Mother had been worried sick looking for you. L-Lady Byleth… are you okay?”

“Huh?” Byleth blinked at the question before turning back towards the wounded man as she said, “Elster, get a healer, he’s-”

She could not finish her words as the man had disappeared from where he had been sitting. Even the trail of blood had disappeared as well, leaving no evidence that there was ever anyone by the shadows. 

“A healer? Are you hurt, Milady?” Elster asked worriedly, taking a step towards her so that he could inspect her with the light of his lantern. The young boy became more concern and he gently placed a hand over her arm as he asked, “Where does it hurt, Milady? Miss Katherine should be on her way here so we can ask her to heal it if it’s not serious…”

“Huh?” Byleth blinked at his concern and replied in a slightly confused tone, tilting her head slightly, “I’m not hurt.”

“Eh?” It was the dark-haired boy’s turn to blink, mimicking his mistress’ tilted head as he asked, “Then why are you crying, Milady?”

At those words, she raised her hand to touch her cheek, confused when she felt the wet tracks of the tears that have fallen from her eyes. She frowned as she said in a dazed tone, “I don’t… remember crying…”

“Little Lady. Elster.” The voice of her governess made both children turn towards the entrance of the balcony. She was holding her own lantern as well and approached them, her brows furrowing when she noticed the tear tracks on her charge’s face, “Are you alright, Little Lady?”

“I don’t… I don’t know…” Byleth replied, unsure of what had happened. She turned to point at the place where the man had been sitting and tried to explain, “There was a man there. He was bleeding and he needed help but then he disappeared and I-”

“Little Lady.” The dark-haired woman knelt in front of her charge and ordered in a firm but gentle tone, “Breathe. Breathe the way I taught you.”

The young girl did as what was instructed of her, taking a deep breath before slowing exhaling. Her governess nodded and said, “Again.”

Byleth took another deep breath and exhaled slowly once more before she heard the older woman repeat, “Again.” 

She took another deep breath before slowing exhaling once more. Her governess nodded and stood, walking towards the part of the balcony shrouded in shadows as she asked, “You said there was a man here?”

“Yes.” Byleth nodded as she explained, “He was bleeding. I think his side was wounded? He was holding it with one of his hands.”

Katherine inspected the place where the man had been sitting for a few moments before turning to face both children as she said, “There’s no indication that anyone had been sitting here for a long time, bleeding or not.”

She slid her right foot on the floor as she said, “The floor hasn’t been dusted since the start of winter. The dust on the floor looked like it hadn't been disturbed since then.”

The little lady’s lips pursed as she asked, “Then where did the man I see go?”

The older woman’s brows furrowed as she suggested, “Perhaps you’ve been dreaming? It’s easy to grow sleepy during cold nights such as this… not to mention, dangerous.”

She turned towards the raging snowstorm outside, protected only by a flimsy piece of clothing from the elements outside, as she told the two children, “Many have died in their sleep in a cold night like this.” 

“Wh-wha-what if it was a ghost?” The young boy next to her charge whispered, hiding behind his mistress as he whispered, “Lady Byleth did say he was wounded. What if it was a ghost of a dead soldier or knight?”

“That’s ridiculous.” Katherine replied immediately, “Castle Fraldarius has never been attacked before so there would be no battle that could create a ghost of a dead soldier or knight.”

“What if it wasn’t a battle but maybe an assassination or a coup or-”

“I believe that you’ve been listening too much to the overly dramatized books the Little Lady has been reading out loud.” Katherine cut him off with a sigh, “Now then, let us all get inside before we freeze to death.”

Her lips curved into a small smirk as she added, “Perhaps then we would become the first ghosts to roam this castle.”

She chuckled at the way the young boy paled at her joke and led the two children inside, turning to face the young silent girl and said, “It may be better to pay what you think you saw no mind. Many see strange visions during the harshest of winter, none of them real.”

Byleth remained silent and simply nodded. She didn’t tell them what the wounded man had told her. She wasn’t even sure what it could have meant anyway.

Perhaps her governess was right and she had imagined the entire thing. Maybe she had dreamt it?

But if that was true… why did such a strange dream brought tears to her eyes? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation of the Fraldarius nicknames:  
By = Bae  
Wen = When  
Fely = Feel-ly (like the word “feel” in “I have feels”)
> 
> Not much lore and extra information for this chapter as most were already discussed in the chapter itself. Sorry for the lack of Dimileth in this chapter. I promise 1165 will have some Dimileth so stay tune for that. Hopefully I can put all of 1165 in one chapter… hopefully…
> 
> Names of Characters Appearing/Being Mentioned In This Chapter (Which May Become Important or Not):  
Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius (birth name Byleth Eisner), daughter of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, Duke of Fraldarius  
Ainara Violette Fraldarius (nee Mateus), Duchess of Fraldarius  
Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, firstborn son of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Felix Hugo Fraldarius, second son of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Lord Loog Alistair Fraldarius, Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius’ Stuffed Lion  
Luciano Hektor Fraldarius, younger brother of the Duke of Fraldarius  
Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus  
Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Crown Prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus  
Ruger Juan Gautier, Margrave of Gautier  
Miklan Anschutz Gautier, firstborn son of Margave of Gautier  
Sylvain Jose Gautier, second son of Margrave Gautier  
Abel Conall Lalouette, firstborn son of Baron of Lalouette  
Hunydd Powe, Fraldarius servant and nanny to Byleth Gwyn Fraldarius  
Elster Powe, son of Hunydd Powe  
Katherine Hohenheim, Byleth Fraldarius' personal governess  
Lambert’s Lionguards (Giraud, Ulrich, Viktor, Korre, Donovan and Katya)  
Dimitri’s Lionguards (Colette)


End file.
